Discovery of Anti-Sense RNA Opens Door to Genetic
Research
Masayori Inouye, then in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, was among the first to describe antisense RNA. Genetic engineering became possible as our understanding of the structure of DNA was followed by elucidation of the function of DNA in encoding for proteins. One of the main functions of RNA (ribonucleic acid) in the nucleus of the cell was found to be forming a complementary copy of the genetic information in a strand of DNA in a gene--a "sense" strand of RNA--and then "translating" it into a protein to perform a specific task. It was demonstrated that, by binding to the "sense" strand, "antisense" RNA could inhibit the synthesis of the target protein. Genetically modified "knockout" organisms have become a staple of research into genetically-based disease and a fundamental tool for pursuing results ranging from commercial food production to cancer therapy. Use of antisense RNA provides an alternative to genetic modification for shutting down production of a specific protein. Inouye and coworkers published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 1984.