Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a double helix formed by two antiparallel complementary RNA strands, is a unique structure with a variety of biological effects. dsRNA can be introduced into the cell from exogenous sources or it can be produced endogenously. There are four basic mechanisms producing dsRNA: inverted repeat transcription, convergent transcription, pairing of sense and antisense RNAs produced in trans, and RNA dependent RNA polymerase-mediated synthesis dsRNA. Different mechanisms of production determine additional structural features of dsRNA, such as dsRNA termini, mismatches etc. These features may affect cellular response to dsRNA. Recognition of dsRNA can trigger several responses that act in sequence-specific or sequence-independent manners. The main sequence- specific response triggered by dsRNA is RNA interference (RNAi) is. Our laboratory has been studying mechanism of induction of RNAi in mammalian cells using one specific type of long dsRNA expression system. The dsRNA used in these experiments formed hairpin structure with long 5' and 3' single-strand RNA overhangs. We hypothesized that other dsRNA substrates might be more efficient than the one used in mammalian RNAi experiments since 2002. Accordingly, the main aim of my thesis was to compare efficiency of different dsRNA...

En esta Tesis Doctoral se ha estudiado el efecto de una serie de ácidos grasos como el araquidónico, docosahexaenoico, eicosapentaenoico y oleico, así como un conjunto de derivados de DAG-lactonas en la activación de diferentes isoenzimas de PKC. El sistema modelo de estudio utilizado han sido diferentes líneas celulares de cáncer de mama (BT-474, MCF-7 y MDA-MB-231). Mediante técnicas de biología molecular y celular, microscopía confocal, ARN de interferencia y microarrays de expresión diferencial de genes se ha estudiado la función de la PKCalpha en la capacidad proliferativa, invasiva y de migración de las células modelo de cáncer de mama, revelando nuevos mecanismos moleculares por los que la PKCalpha se localiza en la membrana plasmática y se activa en dichas células. También se pone de manifiesto el efecto antiproliferativo e inductor de apoptosis de los diversos ácidos grasos estudiados, así como la implicación directa de la PKCalpha en la capacidad proliferativa, migr atoria e invasiva de dichas células / In this Doctoral Thesis, the role of several fatty acids like arachidonic, docosahexaenoic, eicosapentaenoic and oleic, as well as some DAG-lactones derivatives, on the activation of different PKC isoforms has been studied. Some breast cancer cell lines, specifically BT-474, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, have been used as a model. The role of PKC in proliferation, invasion and migration has been studied by means of cellular and molecular techniques, confocal microscopy, siRNA and gene expression microarrays. The results obtained reveal new molecular mechanisms of PKCalpha; localization and activation in breast cancer cell lines. It is also interesting the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptosis role of several fatty acids tested, as well as the direct involvement of PKCalpha; in proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells