Dicer Silencing by siRNA in Cerebellar Granule Neurons

RNA-mediated gene silencing is a fundamental mechanism of gene expression regulation. A main component of RNA silencing machinery, the RNase III Dicer enzyme, catalyzes the processing of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) into ?21-25 nucleotide-long small interfering (si)RNAs and micro (mi)RNAs, an essential step in the biogenesis of small non-coding RNA molecules. In previous report was reported the Dicer localizes with ER and Golgi network in post-mitotic neurons, increasing its expression during the development and maturation in cultured neurons. With the aim to study the components of RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), it was investigated the effect of Dicer silencing on survival in cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). In this immunofluorescence study was observed that Dicer silencing by siRNA facilitates the apoptotic neuronal cell death in CGNs