Identifying Target RNAs of PARPs.

Posttranscriptional regulation of RNA is an important component of gene expression by controlling the total amount of mRNA available for translation into protein. It involves multiple pathways including nuclear processing of mRNA and its precursors, RNA silencing, and regulation of RNA decay. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs), enzymes that modify target proteins with ADP-ribose, play important roles in several RNA-regulatory pathways. RNA-binding PARPs target specific transcripts for regulation, and multiple PARPs ADP-ribosylate RNA-regulatory proteins to alter their localization, activity, or RNA binding. Additionally, RNA-binding proteins can bind directly to poly(ADP-ribose) with various effects on their function. Here we describe methods to identify and confirm specific transcripts that are regulated by PARPs.