Hammerhead Ribozyme-Based Target Discovery

With the accumulation of vast amounts of data as a result of the sequencing of the human genome, it is necessary to identify human genes that are involved in various cellular, developmental, and disease-related processes and to clarify their functions and potential utility as targets in the treatment of disease. Identification methods based on the use of hammerhead and hairpin ribozymes have received increasing attention as possible tools for the rapid identification of key genes involved in biological processes. This chapter describes the method known as gene-discovery by a hammerhead ribozyme library for elucidation of the gene function. Use of this technology has already revealed new insights into several important biological phenomena.