The Rbfox1/LASR complex controls alternative pre-mRNA splicing by recognition of multi-part RNA regulatory modules.

The Rbfox proteins regulate alternative pre-mRNA splicing by binding to the RNA element GCAUG. In the nucleus, most of Rbfox is bound to LASR, a complex of RNA-binding proteins that recognize additional RNA motifs. However, it remains unclear how the different subunits of the Rbfox/LASR complex act together to bind RNA and regulate splicing.

The splicing regulators RBM5 and RBM10 are subunits of the U2 snRNP engaged with intron branch sites on chromatin.

Understanding the mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing is limited by the technical challenges to examining spliceosomes in vivo. Here, we report the isolation of RNP complexes derived from precatalytic A or B-like spliceosomes solubilized from the chromatin pellet of mammalian cell nuclei. We found that these complexes contain U2 snRNP proteins and a portion of the U2 snRNA bound with protected RNA fragments that precisely map to intronic branch sites across the transcriptome.

Denaturing purifications demonstrate that PRC2 and other widely reported chromatin proteins do not appear to bind directly to RNA in vivo.

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is reported to bind to many RNAs and has become a central player in reports of how long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate gene expression. Yet, there is a growing discrepancy between the biochemical evidence supporting specific lncRNA-PRC2 interactions and functional evidence demonstrating that PRC2 is often dispensable for lncRNA function. Here, we revisit the evidence supporting RNA binding by PRC2 and show that many reported interactions may not occur in vivo.

Cross-Linked Fluorescent Supramolecular Nanoparticles as Finite Tattoo Pigments with Controllable Intradermal Retention Times.

Tattooing has been utilized by the medical community for precisely demarcating anatomic landmarks. This practice is especially important for identifying biopsy sites of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) due to the long interval (i.e.

Supramolecular nanosubstrate-mediated delivery for reprogramming and transdifferentiation of mammalian cells.

Supramolecular nanosubstrate-mediated delivery (SNSMD) leverages the power of molecular self-assembly and a nanostructured substrate platform for the low toxicity, highly efficient co-delivery of biological factors encapsulated in a nanovector. Human fibroblasts are successfully reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stems and transdifferentiated into induced neuronal-like cells.

Molecular recognition enables nanosubstrate-mediated delivery of gene-encapsulated nanoparticles with high efficiency.

Substrate-mediated gene delivery is a promising method due to its unique ability to preconcentrate exogenous genes onto designated substrates. However, many challenges remain to enable continuous and multiround delivery of the gene using the same substrates without depositing payloads and immobilizing cells in each round of delivery. Herein we introduce a gene delivery system, nanosubstrate-mediated delivery (NSMD) platform, based on two functional components with nanoscale features, including (1) DNA⊂SNPs, supramolecular nanoparticle (SNP) vectors for gene encapsulation, and (2) Ad-SiNWS, adamantane (Ad)-grafted silicon nanowire substrates.