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Regulation and guidance of cell behavior for tissue regeneration via the siRNA mechanism
Author(s) -
Cheema Sangeeta K.,
Chen Ellen,
Shea Lonnie D.,
Mathur Anshu B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
wound repair and regeneration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.847
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1524-475X
pISSN - 1067-1927
DOI - 10.1111/j.1524-475x.2007.00228.x
Subject(s) - regeneration (biology) , small interfering rna , microbiology and biotechnology , gene silencing , mechanism (biology) , tissue engineering , biology , angiogenesis , gene expression , rna interference , rna , gene , cancer research , genetics , philosophy , epistemology
RNA intereference and short‐interfering RNA (siRNA) have been proven to be effective at decreasing the expression of target genes and provide a valuable tool for promoting and directing the growth of functional tissues for repair and reconstructive tissue engineering applications. siRNA is a gene‐silencing mechanism that involves double‐stranded RNA‐mediated sequence‐specific mRNA degradation and is a powerful mechanism for controlling cell behavior. The use of siRNA to reduce the expression of a target gene can induce the expression of one or more tissue‐inductive factors, direct the differentiation of stem or progenitor cells, or remove a factor that inhibits regeneration, which can be useful in fundamental studies of tissue formation or in applications to promote in vivo regeneration. The potential of siRNA is illustrated through specific examples within the fields of angiogenesis, bone and nerve regeneration, and wound healing. In addition, challenges to deliver siRNA effectively for tissue engineering applications are addressed. siRNA represents a powerful tool to investigate and/or promote tissue formation, and numerous opportunities exist for identifying targets that promote regeneration of tissue and developing effective delivery systems.