RESEARCH PROGRESS OF RNA INTERFERENCE IN CRUSTACEANS

RNA interference (RNAi) is a post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism induced by the specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in eukaryotes. RNAi technology is widely used in the genomic studies of nematode, fruit fly, zebra fish and mice. Recently, significant advancement has also been made in the crustacean research by using the RNAi technology. This review summarizes recent discovery and progress focusing on immunity, growth and development, molting, reproduction, sex differentiation, osmoregulation and metabolism. Finally, the development prospect of RNAi technology usage in crustacean is previewed. The aim of this review is to provide basic scope for studying gene functions and regulatory mechanisms in crustacean.