Small Activating RNAs: Towards Development of New Therapeutic Agents and Clinical Treatments

Small double-strand RNAs (dsRNAs) molecules are able to activate endogenous genes via an RNA-based promoter-targeting mechanism. Like RNA interference (RNAi), RNA activation (RNAa) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that is present in diverse eukaryotic organisms ranging from yeast to humans.The small activating RNAs (saRNAs) that are involved in RNAa have been successively used to activate gene expression in cultured cells. Thus, this emergent technique might allow us to develop biotechnological and therapeutic applications without the need to synthesize hazardous construct systems that harbor exogenous DNA sequences.Accordingly, this article aims to provide insights into how RNAa cellular machinery can be manipulated to activate gene expression and for more effective clinical treatments of diverse diseases.