Characterization of a New Gene Required for RNA Interference

RNA干扰（RNAi）是近年来发现的双链RNA沉默基因活性的过程。 这种情况发生的机制仅被部分理解，并且具有极大的兴趣，因为RNAi相关现象对于正常发育是必不可少的，因为RNAi现在是生物学家研究不同生物体中基因功能的宝贵工具，并且因为RNAi作为人类治疗剂的长期潜力。 该项目的重点是RNA干扰所需的新基因。 该基因的序列表明了该基因如何在RNAi中发挥作用的具体的、可测试的假设。 该项目的主要目标是确定该基因如何发挥作用。 预计这项工作将为理解这一重要途径做出重要贡献。 这个研究项目将包括培训本科生的科学研究，每个本科生将参加一个年度会议，介绍他们的研究结果。 首席研究员是剑桥查佩尔山研究教育支持项目的教师导师，该项目支持来自代表性不足的少数群体的学生获得研究经验并攻读博士学位。程序.

RNA interference (RNAi) is the recently-discovered process by which double-stranded RNA silences gene activity. The mechanism by which this occurs is only partially understood, and is of great interest, since RNAi-related phenomena are essential for normal development, because RNAi is now an invaluable tool to biologists studying gene function in diverse organisms, and because of the long-term potential for using RNAi as a therapeutic agent in humans. This project focuses on a new gene required for RNA interference. The sequence of this gene suggests specific, testable hypotheses for how this gene might function in RNAi. The primary goal of this project is to determine how this gene functions. It is expected that this work will make essential contributions to understanding this important pathway. This research project will include training undergraduate students in scientific research, and each undergraduate student will attend an annual conference to present their findings. The principal investigator is a faculty mentor in UNC Chapel Hill's Research Education Support Program, which supports students from under-represented minority groups to gain research experiences and to enroll in Ph.D. programs.