Revised iCLIP-seq Protocol for Profiling RNA-protein Interaction Sites at Individual Nucleotide Resolution in Living Cells

Abstract

Individual nucleotide resolution UV cross-linking and immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (iCLIP-seq) is a powerful technique that is used to identify RNA-binding proteins' (RBP) binding sites on target RNAs and to characterize the molecular basis of posttranscriptional regulatory pathways. Several variants of CLIP have been developed to improve its efficiency and simplify the protocol [e.g., iCLIP2 and enhanced CLIP (eCLIP)]. We have recently reported that transcription factor SP1 functions in the regulation of alternative cleavage and polyadenylation through direct RNA binding. We utilized a modified iCLIP method to identify RNA-binding sites for SP1 and several of the cleavage and polyadenylation complex subunits, including CFIm25, CPSF7, CPSF100, CPSF2, and Fip1. Our revised protocol takes advantage of several features of the eCLIP procedure and also improves on certain steps of the original iCLIP method, including optimization of circularization of cDNA. Herein, we describe a step-by-step procedure for our revised iCLIP-seq protocol, that we designate as iCLIP-1.5, and provide alternative approaches for certain difficult-to-CLIP proteins. Key features Identification of RNA-binding sites of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) at nucleotide resolution. iCLIP-seq provides precise positional and quantitative information on the RNA-binding sites of RBPs in living cells. iCLIP facilitates the identification of sequence motifs recognized by RBPs. Allows quantitative analysis of genome-wide changes in protein-RNA interactions. Revised iCLIP-1.5 protocol is more efficient and highly robust; it provides higher coverage even for low-input samples. Graphical overview.

Keywords: Posttranscriptional regulation; RNA-binding proteins; UV crosslinking; eCLIP; iCLIP.