Killing the Messenger: Antisense DNA and siRNA

Among the technologies available for gene knockdown RNase H-dependent antisense oligonucleotides and RNAi are very popular. Both offer specificity and efficient knockdown of the genes; both are useful tools to study gene functions. Antisense and RNAi methods share many practical problems such as site selection, toxicity at high concentration, and the difficulty of transfection in certain cell types. We will focus in this review on the most important issues in the development of both methods and their possible use in gene-silencing therapy.