Phenotypic Suppression of Caenorrhabitis Elegans NAS 31 Gene by RNA Interference

Abstract

The genetic interference phenomenon in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been described in which expression of an individual gene can be specifically reduced by soaking or microinjecting a corresponding fragment of double-stranded (ds) RNA. One striking feature of this process is a spreading effect whereby interference in a broad region of the parasite is observed following the soaking of dsRNA into the extracellular body cavity. In this paper showed that C. elegans can respond in a gene-specific manner to dsRNA encountered in the environment. C. elegans normally feed on E. coli OP50 bacteria strain, ingesting and grinding them in the pharynx and subsequently absorbing bacterial contents in the gut. Here we report that soaking C. elegans with dsRNAs confers specific interference effects in the larvae transcripts as judged by RT-PCR.