Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
07:55
An Optimized Quantitative Pull-Down Analysis of RNA-Binding Proteins Using Short Biotinylated RNA
Published on: February 17, 2023
Protein-RNA interactions: new genomic technologies and perspectives
Julian König1, Kathi Zarnack, Nicholas M Luscombe
1Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
Nature Reviews. Genetics
|January 19, 2012
Summary
This article reviews advanced technologies for studying RNA-binding proteins and their interactions with various RNA molecules. It highlights methods for investigating gene expression regulation from transcription to translation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are crucial regulators of gene expression.
- Understanding RBP-RNA interactions is fundamental to deciphering cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review state-of-the-art technologies for studying RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and their interactions with diverse RNA types.
- To explore how these technologies aid in investigating transcription, RNA processing, and translation.
- To identify current challenges and future directions in the field of protein-RNA interactions.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of advanced technologies for analyzing individual RBPs and large protein-RNA complexes (e.g., ribosomes).
- Description of methods applicable to various RNA species, including nascent transcripts, mRNAs, microRNAs, and ribosomal RNAs.
- Focus on techniques enabling genome-wide analysis of protein-RNA interactions.
Main Results:
- Comprehensive overview of current technological capabilities for RBP-RNA interaction studies.
- Illustrates the application of these technologies across different stages of gene expression.
- Identifies key challenges in data analysis and interpretation.
Conclusions:
- Advanced technologies are essential for a high-resolution understanding of RBP-RNA interactions.
- Further development in data analysis is required for quantitative, genome-wide insights.
- Future research will refine our understanding of gene expression regulation by protein-RNA networks.
Related Concept Videos
02:24Ribosome Profiling
Ribosome profiling or ribo-sequencing is a deep sequencing technique that produces a snapshot of active translation in a cell. It selectively sequences the mRNAs protected by ribosomes to get an insight into a cell’s translation landscape at any given point in time.
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique helps...
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique helps...
03:21RNA-seq
RNA sequencing, or RNA-Seq, is a high-throughput sequencing technology used to study the transcriptome of a cell. Transcriptomics helps to interpret the functional elements of a genome and identify the molecular constituents of an organism. Additionally, it also helps in understanding the development of an organism and the occurrence of diseases.
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...
02:02Genomics
Genomics is the science of genomes: it is the study of all the genetic material of an organism. In humans, the genome consists of information carried in 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus, as well as mitochondrial DNA. In genomics, both coding and non-coding DNA is sequenced and analyzed. Genomics allows a better understanding of all living things, their evolution, and their diversity. It has a myriad of uses: for example, to build phylogenetic trees, to improve productivity and...
03:00Next-generation Sequencing
The first human genome sequencing project cost $2.7 billion and was declared complete in 2003, after 15 years of international cooperation and collaboration between several research teams and funding agencies. Today, with the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies, the cost and time of sequencing a human genome have dropped over 100 fold.
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features.
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features.
02:57piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
01:29Translational Regulation
Translational regulation in prokaryotes ensures efficient protein synthesis by controlling ribosome access to mRNA. This regulation is mediated by secondary RNA structures, including translational riboswitches, RNA thermometers, and small RNAs (sRNAs), which respond to intracellular and environmental signals to modulate gene expression.Translational RiboswitchesRiboswitches in the leader region of mRNAs can regulate translation by altering the accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence,...