Role of small RNAs in antiviral immunity and systemic RNA interference of insects KU Leuven
RNA(i) interference is a post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanism that is guided by non-coding small (s)RNA molecules. These sRNAs can be classified, based on their role in distinct biological processes, in three main cell-autonomous pathways: miRNAs regulate endogenous gene expression, piRNAs control retrotransposon activity and siRNAs reduce virus accumulation. In insects, the latter is activated by dsRNA molecules (i.e. products of viral ...