Transgenic RNA Interference in Mice

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool in deciphering gene function. It has been used extensively, especially in cultured mammalian cells. We have shown that RNAi-induced gene silencing can be generated in mice. With conventional transgenic techniques, shRNA-expressing constructs can be introduced into one-cell mouse embryos. The transgenic animals so obtained exhibit reduced expression of the targeted genes. Furthermore, the knockdown effect can be transmitted through the germline in these animals. We describe a method of generating a transgenic RNAi mouse line.