RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural biological process in eukaryotic cells. It uses small RNA molecules to regulate gene expression.
The core function of RNA interference is to reduce or "silence" the expression of specific genes. It achieves this by targeting and degrading messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules or inhibiting their translation into proteins.
RNAi, through the mechanism of RNA interference, directly leads to the phenomenon known as RNA silencing. This process is crucial for controlling gene activity.
Therefore, RNA interference mediates RNA silencing.