# Function of Sequence-specific RNA Binding Proteins

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $331,422

## Abstract

Project Summary
Most human genes are regulated after they are transcribed, at the level of splicing, mRNA decay, translation,
and/or mRNA localization. The specificity of post-transcriptional regulation is driven mostly by the sequence-
or structure-specific recognition of RNA by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). We described an integrated series
of efforts organized around a single but broad-reaching aim:
SA1. To understand the extent, nature and evolutionary conservation of sequence context effects on RBP
binding to RNA motifs.
We have recently developed an assay called RNA Bind-n-Seq (RBNS) for comprehensive, quantitative
analysis of an RBP’s affinity for RNA. Here, we propose to extend this approach to study the determinants of
binding to natural human and mouse 3' UTR sequence by several important RBPs. Subaims are directed at
understanding how RNA secondary structure impacts RBP binding to cognate motifs, understanding the
effects of flanking sequence composition, assessing the conservation of RBP affinity to specific RNA regions,
and developing and testing a predictive model of RBP/RNA interaction. The project is expected to yield a
deeper understanding of how the sequence and structural context of an RNA motif influence its occupancy and
regulatory potential, and insights into the functions of RBPs such as FMRP, hnRNP K, MBNL1 and RBFOX1
that play important roles in development and in diseases such as mental retardation, myotonic dystrophy,
autism and cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9980922
- **Project number:** 5R01GM085319-12
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPHER B BURGE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $331,422
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-08-01 → 2022-05-09

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9980922

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9980922, Function of Sequence-specific RNA Binding Proteins (5R01GM085319-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9980922. Licensed CC0.

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