Specific post-transcriptional inhibition of mRNA for ligand binding chain of IgE high affinity receptor

IgE high affinity receptor (FcεRI) plays an important role in triggering type I allergic reactions. In this study, we have investigated the ability of four synthetic and sequence-specific RNA interfering antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-ODNs) to reduce the expression of FcεRIα gene in granulocytes of allergy sufferers in vitro. Only AS1 out of four AS-ODNs specifically inhibited the FcεRIα gene expression and the dose response assay revealed that AS1 was capable of specific inhibition of target mRNA expression over a linear concentration range without affecting the expression of house keeping genes such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Together, these results indicate that sequence-specific RNA interfering ODNs can be effectively used to silence the expression of key genes like IgE high affinity receptor that are involved in chronic inflammatory diseases.