Detection of RNA–DNA binding sites in long noncoding RNAs

CC Kuo, S Hänzelmann, N Sentürk Cetin… - Nucleic acids …, 2019 - academic.oup.com
CC Kuo, S Hänzelmann, N Sentürk Cetin, S Frank, B Zajzon, JP Derks, VS Akhade, G Ahuja
Nucleic acids research, 2019academic.oup.com
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as scaffolds that promote the interaction of
proteins, RNA, and DNA. There is increasing evidence of sequence-specific interactions of
lncRNAs with DNA via triple-helix (triplex) formation. This process allows lncRNAs to recruit
protein complexes to specific genomic regions and regulate gene expression. Here we
propose a computational method called Triplex Domain Finder (TDF) to detect triplexes and
characterize DNA-binding domains and DNA targets statistically. Case studies showed that …
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as scaffolds that promote the interaction of proteins, RNA, and DNA. There is increasing evidence of sequence-specific interactions of lncRNAs with DNA via triple-helix (triplex) formation. This process allows lncRNAs to recruit protein complexes to specific genomic regions and regulate gene expression. Here we propose a computational method called Triplex Domain Finder (TDF) to detect triplexes and characterize DNA-binding domains and DNA targets statistically. Case studies showed that this approach can detect the known domains of lncRNAs Fendrr, HOTAIR and MEG3. Moreover, we validated a novel DNA-binding domain in MEG3 by a genome-wide sequencing method. We used TDF to perform a systematic analysis of the triplex-forming potential of lncRNAs relevant to human cardiac differentiation. We demonstrated that the lncRNA with the highest triplex-forming potential, GATA6-AS, forms triple helices in the promoter of genes relevant to cardiac development. Moreover, down-regulation of GATA6-AS impairs GATA6 expression and cardiac development. These data indicate the unique ability of our computational tool to identify novel triplex-forming lncRNAs and their target genes.
Oxford University Press