RNA Interference Ex Vivo

RNA interference (RNAi) is a widely used technique to regulate the expression of genes and proteins with a high degree of specificity that is not easily accessed by traditional pharmacological approaches. For preclinical research on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), silencing of target genes in primary immune cells can be easily achieved by the application of small interfering RNA (siRNA) and synthetic short hairpin RNA (shRNAshort hairpin RNA (shRNA).). Cellular and systemic administration of siRNA or shRNAshort hairpin RNA (shRNA). has been a significant advance in preclinical research on RA. In this chapter, the basic techniques for gene silencing in human-derived peripheral T cells using liposome-dependent siRNA transfection and lentiviral-mediated shRNAshort hairpin RNA (shRNA). delivery, aiming at gene silencing of therapeutic targets, are introduced.