New Chromatin Run-On Reaction Enables Global Mapping of Active RNA Polymerase Locations in an Enrichment-free Manner

ACS Chem Biol. 2022 Apr 15;17(4):768-775. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00951. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Abstract

The development of a simple and cost-effective method to map the distribution of RNA polymerase II (RNPII) genome-wide at a high resolution is highly beneficial to study cellular transcriptional activity. Here we report a mutation-based and enrichment-free global chromatin run-on sequencing (mGRO-seq) technique to locate active RNPII sites genome-wide at near-base resolution. An adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analog named N6-allyladenosine triphosphate (a6ATP) was designed and could be incorporated into nascent RNAs at RNPII-located positions during a chromatin run-on reaction. By treatment of the run-on RNAs with a mild iodination reaction and subjection of the products to reverse transcription into complementary DNA (cDNA), base mismatch occurs at the original a6A incorporation sites, thus making the RNPII locations detected in the high-throughput cDNA sequencing. The mGRO-seq yields both the map of RNPII sites and the chromatin RNA abundance and holds great promise for the study of single-cell transcriptional activity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Chromatin
  • DNA, Complementary
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases* / genetics
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases* / metabolism
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / methods
  • RNA Polymerase II / genetics
  • RNA Polymerase II / metabolism
  • RNA* / metabolism

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • DNA, Complementary
  • RNA
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • RNA Polymerase II
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases