A tri-hybrid system for the analysis and detection of RNA--protein interactions

A modification of the two-hybrid system is described for the in vivo reconstruction of specific RNA-protein interactions. In this tri-hybrid system, the DNA binding and transcription activation domains of the yeast transcriptional activator GAL4 are brought together via the interaction of recombinant fusion proteins with a recombinant RNA. The method provides a system for studying RNA-protein interactions with the genetic advantages of the two-hybrid system. It may be used to detect specific RNA-binding proteins or target RNAs from a library of cDNAs, or to analyse the structural specificity of identified RNA-protein interactions.