Small RNA molecules developed as a tool to study gene function trigger a mechanism hidden in every cell that forces the cell to commit suicide.
The mechanism RNA suicide molecules can potentially be developed into a form of cancer therapy. Cancer cells treated with the RNA molecules never become resistant to them because they simultaneously eliminate multiple genes that cancer cells need for survival.
The inability of cancer cells to develop resistance to the molecules is a first, researchers discovered sequences in the human genome that when converted into small double-stranded RNA molecules trigger what they believe to be an ancient kill switch in cells to prevent cancer.
Testing a class of small RNAs, called small interfering (si)RNAs, researchers use to suppress gene activity. siRNAs are designed by taking short sequences of the gene to be targeted and converting them into double- stranded RNA. These siRNAs when introduced into cells suppress the expression of the gene they are derived from.
A large number of these small RNAs derived from certain genes did not, only suppress the gene they were designed against. They also killed all cancer cells. These special sequences are distributed throughout the human genome, embedded in multiple genes.
When converted to siRNAs, these sequences all act as highly trained super assassins.
They kill the cells by simultaneously eliminating the genes required for cell survival. By taking out these survivor genes, the assassin molecule activates multiple death cell pathways in parallel. The small RNA assassin molecules trigger a mechanism calls DISE, for Death Induced by Survival gene Elimination. Activating DISE in organisms with cancer might allow cancer cells to be eliminated.
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