siRNA and apoptosis in breast cancer cells: A minireview

Abstract

Small interfering RNA (siRNA), is a class of double-stranded RNA at first non-coding RNA molecules, operating within the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. It interferes with the expression of specific genes with complementary nucleotide sequences by degrading mRNA after transcription, preventing translation. siRNAs have been widely used to study gene function and extensively exploited for their potential therapeutic applications. siRNAs have gained attention as a potential therapeutic reagent due to their ability to inhibit specific genes in cancer cells. Increased resistance to apoptosis is a challenging issue for treatment of many cancers, including breast cancer. It has been recently reported that siRNAs and RNAi technology can be used to increase the apoptotic susceptibility of cancer cells. It has been shown that apoptosis is induced in cancer cells by siRNA-mediated silencing of the livin/ML-IAP/KIAP gene. Association of siRNA with apoptosis via mitochondrial depolarization and caspase-3 activation has been highlighted in cancer cells. Although many aspects of siRNA actions in cancer cells have been revealed through in vivo and in vitro studies, the biological mechanisms underlying siRNA mediated knockdown of gene expression and apoptosis induction in cancer cells are not yet fully understood. The main aim of this review is to investigate the effects of siRNAs on apoptosis induction in breast cancer cells.