Cell Signaling Technology

Product Pathways - MAPK Signaling

SignalSilence® B-Raf siRNA II #9439

Applications Reactivity
Transfection H

Reactivity Key:  H=Human
Species cross-reactivity is determined by western blot. Species enclosed in parentheses are predicted to react based on 100% sequence homology.

Western Blotting

Western Blotting

Western blot analysis of extracts from HT-29 cells, transfected with 100 nM SignalSilence® Control siRNA (Unconjugated) #6568 (-), SignalSilence® B-Raf siRNA I #8935 (+), or SignalSilence® B-Raf siRNA II (+), using B-Raf (55C6) Rabbit mAb #9433 (upper) or β-Actin (D6A8) Rabbit mAb #8457 (lower). The B-Raf (55C6) Rabbit mAb confirms silencing of B-Raf expression, while the β-Actin (D6A8) Rabbit mAb is used as a loading control.

Description

SignalSilence® B-Raf siRNA II from Cell Signaling Technology (CST) allows the researcher to specifically inhibit B-Raf expression using RNA interference, a method whereby gene expression can be selectively silenced through the delivery of double stranded RNA molecules into the cell. All SignalSilence® siRNA products from CST are rigorously tested in-house and have been shown to reduce target protein expression by western analysis.

Quality Control

Oligonucleotide synthesis is monitored base by base through trityl analysis to ensure appropriate coupling efficiency. The oligo is subsequently purified by affinity-solid phase extraction. The annealed RNA duplex is further analyzed by mass spectrometry to verify the exact composition of the duplex. Each lot is compared to the previous lot by mass spectrometry to ensure maximum lot-to-lot consistency.

Directions for Use

CST recommends transfection with 100 nM SignalSilence® B-Raf siRNA II 48 to 72 hours prior to cell lysis. For transfection procedure, follow protocol provided by the transfection reagent manufacturer. Please feel free to contact CST with any questions on use.

Each vial contains the equivalent of 100 transfections, which corresponds to a final siRNA concentration of 100 nM per transfection in a 24-well plate with a total volume of 300 µl per well.

Background

A-Raf, B-Raf, and c-Raf (Raf-1) are the main effectors recruited by GTP-bound Ras to activate the MEK-MAP kinase pathway (1). Activation of c-Raf is the best understood and involves phosphorylation at multiple activating sites including Ser338, Tyr341, Thr491, Ser494, Ser497, and Ser499 (2). p21-activated protein kinase (PAK) has been shown to phosphorylate c-Raf at Ser338 and the Src family phosphorylates Tyr341 to induce c-Raf activity (3,4). Ser338 of c-Raf corresponds to similar sites in A-Raf (Ser299) and B-Raf (Ser445), although this site is constitutively phosphorylated in B-Raf (5). Inhibitory 14-3-3 binding sites on c-Raf (Ser259 and Ser621) can be phosphorylated by Akt and AMPK, respectively (6,7). While A-Raf, B-Raf, and c-Raf are similar in sequence and function, differential regulation has been observed (8). Of particular interest, B-Raf contains three consensus Akt phosphorylation sites (Ser364, Ser428, and Thr439) and lacks a site equivalent to Tyr341 of c-Raf (8,9). Research studies have shown that the B-Raf mutation V600E results in elevated kinase activity and is commonly found in malignant melanoma (10). Six residues of c-Raf (Ser29, Ser43, Ser289, Ser296, Ser301, and Ser642) become hyperphosphorylated in a manner consistent with c-Raf inactivation. The hyperphosphorylation of these six sites is dependent on downstream MEK signaling and renders c-Raf unresponsive to subsequent activation events (11).

  1. Avruch, J. et al. (1994) Trends Biochem. Sci. 19, 279-283.
  2. Chong, H. et al. (2001) EMBO J. 20, 3716-3727.
  3. King, A.J. et al. (1998) Nature 396, 180-183.
  4. Fabian, J.R. et al. (1993) Mol. Cell Biol. 13, 7170-7179.
  5. Mason, C.S. et al. (1999) EMBO J. 18, 2137-2148.
  6. Zimmermann, S. and Moelling, K. (1999) Science 286, 1741-1744.
  7. Sprenkle, A.B. et al. (1997) FEBS Lett. 403, 254-258.
  8. Marais, R. et al. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 4378-4383.
  9. Guan, K.L. et al. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 27354-27359.
  10. Davies, H. et al. (2002) Nature 417, 949-954.
  11. Dougherty, M.K. et al. (2005) Mol. Cell 17, 215-224.

Application References

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Companion Products

Limited Use Label License, RNA interference: This product is licensed under European Patent 1144623 and foreign equivalents from Ribopharma AG, Kulmbach, Germany and is provided only for use in non-commercial research specifically excluding use (a) in drug discovery or drug development, including target identification or target validation, by or on behalf of a commercial entity, (b) for contract research or commercial screening services, (c) for the production or manufacture of siRNA-related products for sale, or (d) for the generation of commercial databases for sale to Third Parties. Information about licenses for these and other commercial uses is available from Ribopharma AG, Fritz-Hornschuch-Str. 9, D-95326 Kulmbach, Germany.

For Research Use Only. Not For Use In Diagnostic Procedures.

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