Functional Genomic Analysis of RNA Interference in C. elegans

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1109267
• Publication Date: 2005-03-25T01:35:26Z
• Authors: John K. Kim; Harrison W. Gabel; Ravi S. Kamath; Muneesh Tewari; Amy Pasquinelli; Jean-François Rual; Scott Kennedy; Michael Dybbs; Nicolas Bertin; Joshua M. Kaplan; Marc Vidal; Gary Ruvkun
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Genome; Amino Acid Motifs; Genomics; Protein Structure, Tertiary; 03 medical and health sciences; Protein Interaction Mapping; RNA Precursors; Animals; RNA Interference; Gene Silencing; Transgenes; RNA, Helminth; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Genes, Helminth; Gene Library; RNA, Double-Stranded

RNA interference (RNAi) of target genes is triggered by double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) processed by conserved nucleases and accessory factors. To identify the genetic components required for RNAi, we performed a genome-wide screen using an engineered RNAi sensor strain of Caenorhabditis elegans . The RNAi screen identified 90 genes. These included Piwi/PAZ proteins, DEAH helicases, RNA binding/processing factors, chromatin-associated factors, DNA recombination proteins, nuclear import/export factors, and 11 known components of the RNAi machinery. We demonstrate that some of these genes are also required for germline and somatic transgene silencing. Moreover, the physical interactions among these potential RNAi factors suggest links to other RNA-dependent gene regulatory pathways.