Down-regulation of CXCR4 by inducible small interfering RNA inhibits breast cancer cell invasion in vitro.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for studying gene function. Here, we describe an inducible small interfering RNA expression system that allows a tight control of the specific gene silencing by RNAi. Using this system, we demonstrated the inducible RNAi effect on the gene expression in mammalian cells. We further showed that inducible knockdown of endogenous CXC chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4) gene expression in breast cancer cells resulted in significant inhibition of breast cancer cell migration in vitro. This system should be useful for both basic researches on gene function and therapeutic applications of RNAi.