Delivery of Nucleic Acids and Nanomaterials by Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Opportunities and Challenges

Figure 3

Simplified conceptual diagram (not drawn proportionally in size) of exogenous siRNA-mediated gene silencing. (a) The siRNA (usually small hairpin RNA, shRNA) can be modified to covalently interact with CPPs and then be transported through the cell membrane. (b) shRNA binds to the double-strand RNA binding domain (dsRBD) of the enzyme Dicer and then is processed. (c) The processed RNA is incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The passenger strand RNA is degraded. (d) The guide strand RNA along with the RISC binds to a complementary sequence of a targeted mRNA. (e) The targeted mRNA is degraded and translation disrupted.

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