Fig. 5. Experimental scheme of the rde-1 background RNAi. (A) Control experiment. Homozygous rde-1 unc-32 animals were microinjected with med-6 dsRNA, and the total number of eggs laid was counted. Individual progeny were transferred to individual plates, and phenotypes were examined after 4 days. (B) Maternal rescue RNAi. Homozygous rde-1 unc-32 animals were microinjected with med-6 dsRNA and were mated with wild-type males. The total number of eggs laid was counted. Non-Unc cross progeny were transferred to new plates individually, and checked for their sex and phenotypes. The percentages of dead embryos were determined by the differences in the numbers of eggs and viable animals.