Systemic RNAi in C. elegans Requires the Putative Transmembrane Protein SID-1

作者：William M. Winston, Christina Molodowitch, Craig P. Hunter · 发表于：Science · 年份：2002 · DOI：10.1126/science.1068836 · 被引用次数：873 · 研究领域：Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms、CRISPR and Genetic Engineering、RNA Interference and Gene Delivery

Double-stranded RNA-mediated gene interference (RNAi) in Caenorhabditis elegans systemically inhibits gene expression throughout the organism. To investigate how gene-specific silencing information is transmitted between cells, we constructed a strain that permits visualization of systemic RNAi. We used this strain to identify systemic RNA interference-deficient (sid) loci required to spread gene-silencing information between tissues but not to initiate or maintain an RNAi response. One of these loci, sid-1, encodes a conserved protein with predicted transmembrane domains. SID-1 is expressed in cells sensitive to RNAi, is localized to the cell periphery, and is required cell-autonomously for systemic RNAi.