Skip to main content

Visualization of lncRNA by Single-Molecule Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Nuclear Bodies and Noncoding RNAs

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1262))

Abstract

Single-molecule RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization is a technique that holds great potential for the study of long noncoding RNA. It enables quantification and spatial resolution of single RNA molecules within cells via hybridization of multiple, labeled nucleic acid probes to a target RNA. It has recently become apparent that single-molecule RNA FISH probes targeting noncoding RNA are more prone to off-target binding yielding spurious results than when targeting mRNA. Here we present a protocol for the application of single-molecule RNA FISH to the study of noncoding RNA as well as an experimental procedure for validating legitimate signals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Ulitsky I, Bartel DP (2013) lincRNAs: genomics, evolution, and mechanisms. Cell 154:26–46

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Rinn JL, Chang HY (2012) Genome regulation by long noncoding RNAs. Annu Rev Biochem 81:145–166

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Kung JT, Colognori D, Lee JT (2013) Long noncoding RNAs: past, present, and future. Genetics 193:651–669

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Mercer TR, Dinger ME, Mattick JS (2009) Long non-coding RNAs: insights into functions. Nat Rev Genet 10:155–159

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Harrison PR, Conkie D, Paul J, Jones K (1973) Localisation of cellular globin messenger RNA by in situ hybridisation to complementary DNA. FEBS Lett 32:109–112

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Singer RH, Ward DC (1982) Actin gene expression visualized in chicken muscle tissue culture by using in situ hybridization with a biotinated nucleotide analog. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 79:7331–7335

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Brown CJ, Hendrich BD, Rupert JL, Lafreniere RG, Xing Y, Lawrence J, Willard HF (1992) The human XIST gene: analysis of a 17 kb inactive X-specific RNA that contains conserved repeats and is highly localized within the nucleus. Cell 71:527–542

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Clemson CM, McNeil JA, Willard HF, Lawrence JB (1996) XIST RNA paints the inactive X chromosome at interphase: evidence for a novel RNA involved in nuclear/chromosome structure. J Cell Biol 132:259–275

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Clemson CM, Hutchinson JN, Sara SA, Ensminger AW, Fox AH, Chess A, Lawrence JB (2009) An architectural role for a nuclear noncoding RNA: NEAT1 RNA is essential for the structure of paraspeckles. Mol Cell 33:717–726

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hutchinson JN, Ensminger AW, Clemson CM, Lynch CR, Lawrence JB, Chess A (2007) A screen for nuclear transcripts identifies two linked noncoding RNAs associated with SC35 splicing domains. BMC Genomics 8:39

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ip JY, Nakagawa S (2012) Long non-coding RNAs in nuclear bodies. Dev Growth Differ 54:44–54

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Sasaki YT, Ideue T, Sano M, Mituyama T, Hirose T (2009) MENepsilon/beta noncoding RNAs are essential for structural integrity of nuclear paraspeckles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:2525–2530

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sone M, Hayashi T, Tarui H, Agata K, Takeichi M, Nakagawa S (2007) The mRNA-like noncoding RNA Gomafu constitutes a novel nuclear domain in a subset of neurons. J Cell Sci 120:2498–2506

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Femino AM, Fay FS, Fogarty K, Singer RH (1998) Visualization of single RNA transcripts in situ. Science 280:585–590

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Raj A, van den Bogaard P, Rifkin SA, van Oudenaarden A, Tyagi S (2008) Imaging individual mRNA molecules using multiple singly labeled probes. Nat Methods 5:877–879

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Bumgarner SL, Neuert G, Voight BF, Symbor-Nagrabska A, Grisafi P, van Oudenaarden A, Fink GR (2012) Single-cell analysis reveals that noncoding RNAs contribute to clonal heterogeneity by modulating transcription factor recruitment. Mol Cell 45:470–482

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Carpenter S, Aiello D, Atianand MK, Ricci EP, Gandhi P, Hall LL, Byron M, Monks B, Henry-Bezy M, Lawrence JB et al (2013) A long noncoding RNA mediates both activation and repression of immune response genes. Science 341:789–792

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Hacisuleyman E, Goff LA, Trapnell C, Williams A, Henao-Mejia J, Sun L, McClanahan P, Hendrickson DG, Sauvageau M, Kelley DR et al (2014) Topological organization of multichromosomal regions by the long intergenic noncoding RNA Firre. Nat Struct Mol Biol 21:198–206

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Khalil AM, Guttman M, Huarte M, Garber M, Raj A, Rivea Morales D, Thomas K, Presser A, Bernstein BE, van Oudenaarden A et al (2009) Many human large intergenic noncoding RNAs associate with chromatin-modifying complexes and affect gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:11667–11672

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kretz M, Siprashvili Z, Chu C, Webster DE, Zehnder A, Qu K, Lee CS, Flockhart RJ, Groff AF, Chow J et al (2013) Control of somatic tissue differentiation by the long non-coding RNA TINCR. Nature 493:231–235

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Maamar H, Cabili MN, Rinn J, Raj A (2013) linc-HOXA1 is a noncoding RNA that represses Hoxa1 transcription in cis. Genes Dev 27:1260–1271

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Mohammad F, Pandey RR, Nagano T, Chakalova L, Mondal T, Fraser P, Kanduri C (2008) Kcnq1ot1/Lit1 noncoding RNA mediates transcriptional silencing by targeting to the perinucleolar region. Mol Cell Biol 28:3713–3728

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Wang KC, Yang YW, Liu B, Sanyal A, Corces-Zimmerman R, Chen Y, Lajoie BR, Protacio A, Flynn RA, Gupta RA et al (2011) A long noncoding RNA maintains active chromatin to coordinate homeotic gene expression. Nature 472:120–124

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Raj A, Tyagi S (2010) Detection of individual endogenous RNA transcripts in situ using multiple singly labeled probes. Methods Enzymol 472:365–386

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Levesque MJ, Raj A (2013) Single chromosome transcriptional profiling reveals chromosome-level regulation of gene expression. Nat Methods 10:246. doi:10.1038/nmeth.237210.1038/nmeth.2372

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to John Rinn or Arjun Raj .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Dunagin, M., Cabili, M.N., Rinn, J., Raj, A. (2015). Visualization of lncRNA by Single-Molecule Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization. In: Nakagawa, S., Hirose, T. (eds) Nuclear Bodies and Noncoding RNAs. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1262. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2253-6_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2253-6_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2252-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2253-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics