HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dunn, S. R. Articles by Weis, V. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dunn, S. R. Articles by Weis, V. M.

Knockdown of Actin and Caspase Gene Expression by RNA Interference in the Symbiotic Anemone Aiptasia pallida

¹ Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
² Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail dunns{at}science.oregonstate.edu

Since the discovery of the ancient eukaryotic process of RNA-mediated gene silencing, the reverse-genetics technique RNA interference (RNAi) has increasingly been used to examine gene function in vertebrate and invertebrate systems. In this study, we report on the use of RNAi, adapted from studies on animal model systems, to manipulate gene expression in a symbiotic marine cnidarian. We describe gene knockdown of actin and of acasp—a cysteine protease, or caspase—in the symbiotic sea anemone Aiptasia pallida. Knockdown was assessed qualitatively with in situ hybridizations for both genes. Quantitative PCR and caspase activity assays were used as a quantitative measure of knockdown for acasp.

Abbreviations: dsRNA, double-stranded RNA • RNAi, RNA interference