A magnetic bead-integrated chip for the large scale manufacture of normalized esiRNAs

PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39419. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039419. Epub 2012 Jun 27.

Abstract

The chemically-synthesized siRNA duplex has become a powerful and widely used tool for RNAi loss-of-function studies, but suffers from a high off-target effect problem. Recently, endoribonulease-prepared siRNA (esiRNA) has been shown to be an attractive alternative due to its lower off-target effect and cost effectiveness. However, the current manufacturing method for esiRNA is complicated, mainly in regards to purification and normalization on a large-scale level. In this study, we present a magnetic bead-integrated chip that can immobilize amplification or transcription products on beads and accomplish transcription, digestion, normalization and purification in a robust and convenient manner. This chip is equipped to manufacture ready-to-use esiRNAs on a large-scale level. Silencing specificity and efficiency of these esiRNAs were validated at the transcriptional, translational and functional levels. Manufacture of several normalized esiRNAs in a single well, including those silencing PARP1 and BRCA1, was successfully achieved, and the esiRNAs were subsequently utilized to effectively investigate their synergistic effect on cell viability. A small esiRNA library targeting 68 tyrosine kinase genes was constructed for a loss-of-function study, and four genes were identified in regulating the migration capability of Hela cells. We believe that this approach provides a more robust and cost-effective choice for manufacturing esiRNAs than current approaches, and therefore these heterogeneous RNA strands may have utility in most intensive and extensive applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Endoribonucleases / genetics*
  • Gene Library
  • Humans
  • RNA, Small Interfering / chemical synthesis*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics

Substances

  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Endoribonucleases