ProteRNA · Proof of Concept for a Platform for the Fast and General Elucidation of the Interaction Between Proteins and RNA

Proof of Concept for a Platform for the Fast and General Elucidation of the Interaction Between Proteins and RNA

Proteins which have been found to have a genetically verified link to diseases are twice as likely to be therapeutically validated as drug targets when compared to those without any genetic link to disesase.1 In this regard, the amazing progress which has been made in mapping the human genome and proteome has led to significant hope for the development of novel therapies which regulate expression of proteins related to diseases. However, most studies in this area lack an understanding of the functional and regulatory relationships between proteins and gene expression to deliver such therapies. The impediment of developing such knowledge is the lack of effective analytical tools which can map the interactions of cellular RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and oligonucleotides (e.g. RNA). The development of analytical methods for identification of RNA-binding proteins (RPBs) and their corresponding RNA motifs, will facilitate: i) a deeper understanding of the roles of gene regulation and protein expression; ii) accelerate development of personalised medicines via regulation of protein expression; and iii) enable rapid identification of proteomes involved in specific diseases. In doing so, this project will have outputs which in the medium term will have significant market opportunities and societal benefits, including, but not limited to, stimulating job creation in the pharmabiotech and diagnostics sectors; and in the longer term reducing costs for national and EU healthcare budgets. Against the above background, this project seeks to address the intertwined challenges of helping to grow the European biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries via new technology and product innovation, whilst at the same time ensuring that such technologies and products can ultimately be developed (and implemented) economically. We will do this by tackling the following specific R&I objectives: Objective 1 – Develop a novel method for immobilising oligonucleotides (RNA) onto solid support using 19F-tagged linkers Objective 2 – Test and confirm that complexation of the immobilised RNAs with known RBPs can be validated by 19F-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry Objective 3 – Test and confirm that the RNA-RBP complex analysis platform can identify unknown RBPs from proteic fractions of cell lysates

Data: CORDIS, © European Union