Screening Protein Interaction with RNA by Innovative Technologies – SPIRIT

We have recently discovered a new technology that uses microtubules as nanoplatforms to detect biomolecular interactions in cells. This technology is particularly effective in quantifying RNA:protein interactions for which other existing methods offer few alternatives. Here, we propose to develop this technology to screen small molecules to interfere with RNA:protein interactions related to pathological processes. To validate our strategy, we will use an integrative approach combining bionformatics, structural and cellular biology to target a specific RNA:protein complex involved in human cancer. We have already obtained the NMR structure of the RNA:protein complexe targets to probe the action of small molecules in vitro and identified few molecules targeting mRNA:protein interactions in cells. At the end of this project, our results could validate our innovative approach and reveal RNA:protein interactions as putative targets in human diseases.