RNA-Centric Methods: Toward the Interactome of Specific RNA Transcripts

RNA-protein interactions play an important role in numerous cellular processes in health and disease. In recent years, the global RNA-bound proteome has been extensively studied, uncovering many previously unknown RNA-binding proteins. However, little is known about which particular proteins bind to which specific RNA transcript. In this review, we provide an overview of methods to identify RNA-protein interactions, with a particular focus on strategies that provide insights into the interactome of specific RNA transcripts. Finally, we discuss challenges and future directions, including the potential of CRISPR-RNA targeting systems to investigate endogenous RNA-protein interactions.

Automated summary

The study of RNA-protein interactions has revealed many unknown RNA-binding proteins, but the specific protein-RNA transcript interactions remain unclear. Challenges include identifying which proteins bind to specific RNA transcripts, and future directions may involve using CRISPR-RNA targeting systems to study endogenous RNA-protein interactions.