Question

The researchers introduced a small RNA complementary to a portion of the mRNA encoding protein A into the Brec-MUT cells growing in a petri dish. The researchers claim that the treated cells will fail to stimulate blood vessel formation. Based on information provided, provide reasoning to support their claim.

Answer 1

Answer:

Delivered small RNAs can inhibit protein A production through the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism, and thus impairs angiogenesis  

Explanation:

The pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A is a protease enzyme involved in the formation of new blood vessels by increasing insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) bioavailability. Moreover, small RNAs (<200 nucleotides in length, generally 18 to 30 nucleotides) are non-coding RNA molecules that function in RNA silencing through the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Small RNAs are widely used in molecular biology laboratories because they can be delivered into specific cells in order to silence target mRNAs such as, in this case, the mRNA encoding protein A, by complementary base pairing and thereby inducing translational repression. In consequence, mRNAs complementary to delivered small RNAs are silenced through RNAi pathways, i.e., by cleavage of the target mRNA and/or mRNA destabilization.