In 1998, future Nobel laureates Andrew Fire and Craig Mello, and colleagues, published an article in Nature entitled, 'Potent and Specific Genetic Interference by Double-Stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans.' Explain how RNAi is both 'potent and specific.'

Video transcript

Welcome back. Let's look at our next question. It says which of the following correctly describes R. N. A. I. Well let's recall from our content, video what RNA I is and that stands for RNA interference and that RNA interference is we have a definition here Choice be a technique to silence or reduced gene expression by introducing small RNA molecules. So you are interfering with gene expression with the use of RNA molecules And these small molecules that are used R. S. I. R. N. A. Or AM I. RNA molecules when they bind to a messenger RNA. That causes the messenger RNA to be degraded, therefore reducing or silencing gene expression. Um That also makes them a promising target of cancer therapeutics. Since we know that cancer is often caused by uncontrolled gene expression. So these this RNA interference is seen as a promising candidate for cancer therapeutics. Let's look at our other answer choices to understand why they are not correct. Choice A says it is a technique to increase gene expression by introducing small RNA molecules. Well this is not correct, It causes a degradation of the M. RNA transcript and therefore silences or reduces gene expression. So it does not increase gene expression and that's not our correct answer choice C says it is a technique to increase DNA replication by introducing restriction and nucleus is well, as we discussed it's a technique to reduce gene expression, not doesn't involve DNA replication. Um And of course restriction under nucleus is cleave DNA at specific sequences. They don't increase DNA replication anyway, so Choice C. Not correct. And finally, Choice D. Says it is a technique to increase gene expression by forming policies OEMs. Um Again it's not a technique to increase gene expression but to reduce or silence it and policies. OEMs are complexes of ribosomes that translate M. RNA into protein so they wouldn't have anything to do with gene expression but rather facilitating that translation process. So that's why D. Is not correct. So again, which of the following correctly describes R N. A. I. Or RNA interference. Choice be it is a technique to silence or reduced gene expression by introducing small RNA molecules. See you in the next video.