BLOCK-iT™ Lentiviral RNAi Zeo Gateway™ Vector Kit - FAQs

How do the BLOCK-iT shRNA products compare to the BLOCK-iT miR RNAi system?

Both systems are used for gene targeting or gene knockdown but each has distinctive features. The shRNA expression vectors like pENTR/U6 or pENTR/H1-TO use Pol III promoters, whereas the miRNA expression vectors are flexible to use more common and more processive Pol II promoters like CMV, EF1 or other mammalian expression promoters. You can only clone a single shRNA sequence into an shRNA vector to target a single gene, whereas multiple miRNA sequences can be cloned together into an miRNA vector to target one or more genes, or multiple locations in a gene. An additional feature of the miRNA expression vectors is that, due to use of Pol II promoters, the miRNA can be expressed directly in fusion with a reporter gene like EmGFP to monitor transfection and transcription.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our RNAi Support Center.