Method for Preparing Short Hairpin RNA from cDNA
Project Leader: Yin-Yuan Mo
Unit: School of Medicine, Springfield
Brief Description:
Suppression of gene expression by a genetic technique has become essential in elucidating gene functions. Gene silencing mediated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) has proven to be a gene-specific and cost-effective alternative to other gene suppression technologies. In research laboratories, siRNAs are either synthesized in vitro or generated from the vector-based expression, generally through short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs). Although several groups have recently reported construction of shRNA libraries from cDNA libraries, there is no report of generating a shRNA library from randomized oligonucleotides. We have developed a technology to simplify this procedure to make a shRNA library from any cDNA of a gene of interest or from a cDNA library. This technology has been validated by suppressing gene expression. Consequently, this technology can be used to identify efficient siRNA target sequences by a variety of selection methods, and thus it will be become an important tool for functional genomics.
Patent Status:
Patent pending.
Potential Commercial Uses:
The shRNA library will be very useful in identifying drug targets, studying gene functions, and validating drug targets. It holds great commercial value.
Contact:
Rob Patino, SIU School of Medicine Office of Technology Transfer, (217) 545-8167, fax: (217) 545-0786