microCLIP super learning framework uncovers functional transcriptome-wide miRNA interactions

Nat Commun. 2018 Sep 6;9(1):3601. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-06046-y.

Abstract

Argonaute crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) experiments are the most widely used high-throughput methodologies for miRNA targetome characterization. The analysis of Photoactivatable Ribonucleoside-Enhanced (PAR) CLIP methodology focuses on sequence clusters containing T-to-C conversions. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the non-T-to-C clusters, frequently observed in PAR-CLIP experiments, exhibit functional miRNA-binding events and strong RNA accessibility. This discovery is based on the analysis of an extensive compendium of bona fide miRNA-binding events, and is further supported by numerous miRNA perturbation experiments and structural sequencing data. The incorporation of these previously neglected clusters yields an average of 14% increase in miRNA-target interactions per PAR-CLIP library. Our findings are integrated in microCLIP ( www.microrna.gr/microCLIP ), a cutting-edge framework that combines deep learning classifiers under a super learning scheme. The increased performance of microCLIP in CLIP-Seq-guided detection of miRNA interactions, uncovers previously elusive regulatory events and miRNA-controlled pathways.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Argonaute Proteins / chemistry
  • Binding Sites
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / genetics
  • Computer Simulation
  • Cross-Linking Reagents / chemistry
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods
  • Gene Library
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / methods*
  • Humans
  • Immunoprecipitation / methods*
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA

Substances

  • Argonaute Proteins
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • MicroRNAs