Research uncovers widespread evidence that RNA interactions play role in regulating chromatin states

Recent evidence has suggested that interaction with RNA can regulate the activity and localization of chromatin-associated proteins, but it’s not known whether this is a widespread mechanism underlying chromatin states and gene regulation. As part of the ENCODE initiative, researchers from Harvard University and the Broad Institute used a scalable protocol for cataloguing RNA–protein interactions—including those on and around chromatin—to uncover many examples of RNA binding that suggest that RNA does indeed play an important roles in creating and/or maintaining chromatin states. The data provide a powerful, novel resource that can help dissect the interplay of RNA and epigenetic regulation across diverse chromatin regulatory complexes.

The study was conducted by David Hendrickson, David Kelley, Danielle Tenen, Bradley Bernstein, and John Rinn, and published in Genome Biology.