RNA干扰在早产儿视网膜病中的研究进展

Progress in research on RNA interference in retinopathy of prematurity

RNA干扰是指具有同源性的双链RNA能高效、特异地使靶mRNA发生降解，使基因转录后的mRNA不能表达而导致基因沉默的一种现象。RNA干扰在维持基因组稳定、保护基因组免受外源核酸侵入、基因表达调控等方面发挥重要生物学作用。RNA干扰作为基因沉默的一个工具，已被广泛用于基因功能研究、基因治疗和新药研究与开发等方面。早产儿视网膜病是发生于未成熟或低出生体重儿的增殖性视网膜病变，是儿童致盲的主要原因之一，血管新生是早产儿视网膜病的病理生理基础。RNA干扰技术在分析和研究目的基因功能、抗肿瘤和病毒等方面取得了一些突破性进展，为增殖性视网膜病变的基因治疗提供了新思路。该文对RNA干扰的机制特点及在早产儿视网膜病中的研究进展作以综述。

Affinal double-stranded RNA （dsRNA） can induce specific mRNA degradation of high efficiency and make the post- transcriptional gene cannot be expressed--gene silencing. This phenomen is called RNA interference （RNAi）. RNAi exerts important roles in maintaining stabilization of the genome, protecting the genome from invasion of exogenic nucleic acid and regulating gene expression. As a gene silencing tool , RNAi has been widely used in gene function research, gene therapy and research and development of new drugs. Retinopathy of prematurity（ROP） is a proliferative retinopathy of premature and low birth weight infants and is one of the major causes of childhood blindness. Neovascularization is the base of pathophysiology of ROP. The technology of RNAi makes a breaking progress in analysing and studying fanctions of the target gene, resisting tumours and viruses, which provides a new idea for gene therapy of proliferative retinopathy. This review summarized progress in research on mechanism and characteristics of RNAi and application of the technology in study on ROP.