Many si/shRNAs can kill cancer cells by targeting multiple survival genes through an off-target mechanism
Describes sRNAs killing cells through RNA inhibition by silencing genes that are essential for cell survival, determines that a 6-nucleotide sequence is sufficient to have full toxic activity and that cells devoid of microRNA are hypersensitive to cell death upon treatment, concluding that this is due to the protective activity of miRNAs blocking access to the RISC in normal tissues
Putzbach et al. (2017).DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.29702