Skip to main content

Expression, Purification, and Analysis of Recombinant Drosophila Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 Enzymes

  • Protocol
RNAi

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 442))

Summary

RNA interference (RNAi) is a form of posttranscriptional gene silencing mediated by microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA). In Drosophila melanogaster, the RNase III enzymes Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 generate miRNA and siRNA, respectively. We describe the methods for the expression, purification, and analysis of recombinant Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 enzymes. Our studies demonstrate that Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 display different substrate specificities and ATP requirements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Hannon, G. J. (2002). ,.RNA interference. Nature 418, 244–251.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bartel, D. P. (2004). MicroRNAs: Genomics, biogenesis, mechanism, and function. Cell 116,281–297.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Filipowicz, W., Jaskiewicz, L., Kolb, F. A., and Pillai, R. S. (2005). Post-transcriptional gene silencing by siRNAs and miRNAs. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 15, 331–341.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Sontheimer, E. J., and Carthew, R. W. (2005). Silence from within: Endogenous siRNAs and miRNAs. Cell 122, 9–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Esquela-Kerscher, A., and Slack, F. J. (2006). Oncomirs—MicroRNAs with a role in cancer. Nat. Rev. Cancer 6, 259–269.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Plasterk, R. H. (2006). MicroRNAs in animal development. Cell 124, 877–881.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Tomari, Y., and Zamore, P. D. (2005). Perspective: Machines for RNAi. Genes Dev. 19, 517–529.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Tang, G. (2005). siRNA and MiRNA: An insight into RISC. Trends Biochem. Sci. 30, 106–114.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Carmell, M. A., and Hannon, G. J. (2004). RNase III enzymes and the initiation of gene silencing. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 11, 214–218.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Zhang, H., Kolb, F. A., Jashiewicz, L., Westhof, E., and Filipowicz, W. (2004). Single processing center models for human Dicer and bacterial Rnase III. Cell 118, 57–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. MacRae, I. J., Zhou, K., Li, F., et al. (2006). Structural basis for double-stranded RNA processing by Dicer. Science 311, 195–198.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bernstein, E., Caudy, A. A., Hammond, S. M., and Hannon, G. J. (2001). Role for a bidentate ribonuclease in the initiation step of RNA interference. Nature 409, 363–366.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Ketting, R. F., Fischer, S. E., Bernstein, E., Sijen, T., Hannon, G. J., and Plasterk, R. H. (2001). Dicer functions in RNA interference and in synthesis of small RNA involved in developmental timing in C. elegans. Genes Dev. 15, 2654–2659.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Lee, Y. S., Nakahara, K., Pham, J. W., et al. (2004). Distinct roles for Drosophila Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 in the RNAi/miRNA silence pathway. Cell 117, 69–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Liu, Q., Rand, T. A., Kalidas, S., et al. (2003). R2D2, a bridge between the initiation and effector steps of the Drosophila RNAi pathway. Science 301, 1921–1925.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Jiang, F., Ye, X., Liu, X., Fincher, L., McKearin, D., and Liu, Q. (2005). Dicer-1 and R3D1-L catalyze microRNA maturation in Drosophila. Genes Dev. 19, 1674–1679.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Saito, K., Ishizuka, A., Siomi, H., and Siomi, M. C. (2005). Processing of pre-microRNAs by the Dicer-1-Loquacious complex in Drosophila cells. PLoS Biol. 3, e235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Forstemann, K., Tomari, Y., Du, T., et al. (2005). Normal microRNA maturation and germ-line stem cell maintenance requires Loquacious, a double-stranded RNA-binding domain protein. PLoS Biol. 3, e236.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Tomari, Y., Matranga, C., Haley, B., Martinez, N., and Zamore, P. D. (2004). A protein sensor for siRNA asymmetry. Science 306, 1378–1380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Zain Paroo for critical reading of the manuscript and Feng Jiang for technical assistance. Q. L. is a W. A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr. Scholar in Medical Research and a Damon Runyon Scholar supported by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (DRS-43). The work is also supported by a Welch grant (I-1608).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Ye, X., Liu, Q. (2008). Expression, Purification, and Analysis of Recombinant Drosophila Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 Enzymes. In: Barik, S. (eds) RNAi. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 442. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-191-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-191-8_2

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-874-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-191-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics