Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: thedoc on 19/07/2012 16:30:01

Title: Can RNA interference alter the next generation?
Post by: thedoc on 19/07/2012 16:30:01

Matt Copas  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Could a RNAi based silencing effect the DNA of the next generation by silencing a gene in a mothers eggs before they were formed? Thanks in advance and I love the show.

Matthew Copas

West Union, Ohio
United States

What do you think?

Title: Re: Can RNA interference alter the next generation?
Post by: chris on 20/07/2012 09:24:35

That's a tricky one. If the RNAi impacted on a genetic circuit linked to epigenetic programming, whereby chemical tags are added to the sides of genes to control their activity, this could have a heritable effect, because scientists have discovered that epigenetic effects can be heritable.

But on the whole, RNAi produces a temporary arrest of expression of a specific genetic message by triggering the target mRNA sequence to be degraded.

Chris