RNAi silencing: A tool for functional genomics research on fungi

• The mechanism of RNAi has been lost in specific lineages.
• It was thought that fungi lacked of miRNAs.
• The milRNAs are produced by similar mechanisms to those that produce miRNAs.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism of post-transcriptional gene silencing which is triggered by the presence of double stranded RNA molecules homologous to a gene, resulting in degradation of the messenger RNA produced attenuating thereby the target gene expression, as a mechanism of regulation of gene expression. The potential use of this mechanism in several areas of life sciences is tangible. In the case of biotechnology, the use of fungi as production models of human interest compounds, invites studies on the mechanisms of regulation of gene expression, for the better use of its qualities. This review tries to concentrate most of the existing information about the mechanism and components that direct the silencing, using RNAi to fungus as a model organism. Also, it was included available information about the role of RNAi in organisms that contain it. Strategies that have been developed as tools for the study of gene function using the RNAi mechanism are mentioned, too. Finally, some of the research in fungi where RNAi silencing has been used to assess gene function is included.