siSPOTR: An RNAi gene silencing design tool that minimizes off-target side effects

What is it about?

RNA interference (RNAi) is a molecular mechanism where short RNA "guides" can be used to silence expression of a specific gene of interest. However, the RNAi guides can have unintended "off-target" effects, partially silencing other genes. This can lead to cell toxicity and death. This study uses rules known to govern these off-target interactions to predict the off-targeting potential of any RNAi guides, and incorporates it into an easy-to-use online web tool, siSPOTR. This tool allows users to design RNAi guides for any gene of interest, and select those with the lowest off-targeting potential.

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Why is it important?

RNAi is an important tool both for molecular research and as a potential therapy for human disease. As a molecular tool, RNAi is used to study the functions of individual genes, since it allows researchers to study the functional consequences of removing a specific gene product. In such applications, off-target effects can lead to erroneous conclusions due to the effect of silencing other genes. In therapeutic applications, reducing off-target effects helps reduce the chances of toxicity or other unintended side effects.