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Science 9 October 1998:
Vol. 282. no. 5387, pp. 296 - 298
DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5387.296
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Reports

Controlling Gene Expression in Living Cells Through Small Molecule-RNA Interactions

Geoffrey Werstuck, * Michael R. Green dagger

Short RNA aptamers that specifically bind to a wide variety of ligands in vitro can be isolated from randomized pools of RNA. Here it is shown that small molecule aptamers also bound their ligand in vivo, enabling development of a method for controlling gene expression in living cells. Insertion of a small molecule aptamer into the 5' untranslated region of a messenger RNA allowed its translation to be repressible by ligand addition in vitro as well as in mammalian cells. The ability of small molecules to control expression of specific genes could facilitate studies in many areas of biology and medicine.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 373 Plantation Street, Suite 309, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
*   Present address: MBI Fermentas Inc., 7 Innovation Drive, Flamborough, ON, Canada L9H 7H9.

dagger    To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: michael.green{at}ummed.edu

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