TREX – A novel method for isolating RNA-binding proteins

TREX is a revolutionary RNA-centric method for the unbiased identification of proteins that directly interact with specific regions of RNA. This novel technique is more specific, efficient, and reproducible than current methods. It is applicable to various types of RNA and enables the region-specific mapping of RNA-protein interactions.

RNA-binding proteins can be identified using either Protein-centric or RNA-centric approaches, however current methodologies have significant limitations. Protein-centric methods like RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) can be biased due to availability of suitable  antibodies, thus significantly limiting their reach and applicability.

Conversely, current RNA-centric approaches suffer from a low efficiency of RNA pull-down, a drastic lack of reproducibility between approaches, and significant off-target capture, reducing specificity. In addition, current approaches are often labour intensive and require high starting material, limiting their widespread application and scalability.

TREX is an innovative approach to the isolation and identification of RNA-binding proteins. It’s not only more efficient than current methods, it also introduces the ability to accurately estimate specificity and to identify the region-specific interactors of any given segment of any RNA molecule in living cells.