The Molecular Grammar Of Lncrnas

The Molecular Grammar Of Lncrnas

For protein-coding genes we know the letters (amino acids), words (domains) and sentences (structures). Thus, to near fluency, we can read a sequence and make some inference of function for a given protein. 

In contrast, we have almost no vernacular for lncRNAs owing to the different “syntax” compared to proteins. By way of analogy, proteins transmit information through a lexicon and RNA through a symbolic language like hieroglyphics. 

Towards this goal we have developed a Massively Parallel RNA Assay (MPRNA) strategy that test hundreds of thousands of individual RNA sequences and structures for function. Thus we can rapidly identify RNA “hieroglyphs” and look for commonalities and meanings — as we can for proteins today.