RNA INTERFERENCE, CLASS XII, BIOLOGY, DAY 2 OF 75 HARD TOPICS,

RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring post-transcriptional mechanism found in nearly all cells. It was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 2006. RNAi is a gene silencing or gene knockdown technology working at the RNA level. It targets the organism's own mRNA sequence and interferes with protein synthesis. RNA interference acts as a mode of gene regulation or works as a defense mechanism against any exogenous pathogenic RNA.

RNAi is also employed in genetic engineering to artificially suppress particular genes. This technique has proven instrumental in various applications, including the study of gene function, cancer therapy, control of viral infections, advancements in agricultural biotechnology, etc.