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pubmed:abstractText |
The phenomenon of posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS), which occurs when a transgene is introduced into a cell, is poorly understood. Here, the qde-3 gene, which is required for the activation and maintenance of gene silencing in the fungus Neurospora crassa, was isolated. Sequence analysis revealed that the qde-3 gene belongs to the RecQ DNA helicase family. The QDE3 protein may function in the DNA-DNA interaction between introduced transgenes or with an endogenous gene required for gene-silencing activation. In animals, genes that are homologous to RecQ protein, such as the human genes for Bloom's syndrome and Werner's syndrome, may also function in PTGS.
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pubmed:affiliation |
Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Sezione di Genetica Molecolare, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Viale Regina Elena, 324, 00161 Roma, Italy. carlo@bce.med.uniroma1.it
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