RNA Interference and MicroRNA‐Mediated Silencing

RNA interference (RNAi) and microRNA‐mediated silencing cause sequence‐specific silencing of target genes. This overview will give a brief description of how RNAi and microRNAs were discovered, how small RNAs silence their targets, and what the functions of small RNAs are. Since the discovery of RNAi, RNAi has been widely used in studies of gene function, including high‐throughput screening. The unit will briefly describe how RNAi is used in different model systems, and how to analyze the function of endogenous small RNAs. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.