Description
The GeneSilencer^® shRNA Vectors are a family of plasmids designed to induce RNA interference (RNAi) of target genes via the expression of small hairpin RNA (shRNAs) in vitro or in vivo.  Specifically, the user clones a gene specific shRNA coding sequence of 45-50 nucleotides downstream of an RNA polymerase III (Pol III) promoter.  After transfection, the shRNA sequence will be expressed as fold-back stem-loop structure that is subsequently processed inside the cell into functional siRNAs.

These poweful vectors offer an effective and convenient way of producing and using siRNAs to study gene function.  As opposed to the traditional chemical synthesis of siRNAs, the GeneSilencer shRNA Vectors use the cellular machinery to encode shRNAs from cloned sequences; this method offers more convenience, potential cost savings, and greater control over gene silencing experimental design.

The GeneSilencer shRNA Vectors contain either the U6 or the H1 RNA polymerase III promoter, allowing optimal expression in a wide variety of cell types. Additionally, the vectors are available with GFP reporter genes to allow easy determination of vector transfection efficiency. All of the vectors contain a neomycin resistance gene for convenient selection of stable cell lines (for a comparison of the different vectors, see Table 2 below).

Table 1: GeneSilencer^® shRNA Expression Vector Features

Table 2: GeneSilencer^® shRNA Vectors Comparison

Shipping and Storage
The GeneSilencer shRNA Vectors are shipped frozen. For maximum stability, store all reagents at –20ºC upon receipt.  If stored properly, the GeneSilencer shRNA Vectors and kit components are stable for 6 months