The Application of Genome-Wide RNAi Screens in Exploring Varieties of Signaling Transduction Pathways

Cardiovascular development is a precisely coordinated process at multilevels. It involves cross-talking among numerous signaling transduction pathways to ensure proper cell polarity, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and programmed death. Here, genome-wide RNA interference screens in Drosophila cells are introduced as novel approaches to discover potential regulators, with special emphases on (1) cell growth and viability, and (2) receptor tyrosine kinase and extracellular-signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway.