The team led by Professor Zhang Biliang of the SKLRD and Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health of Chinese Academy of Sciences cooperated with the research team led by research fellow Miguel A. Esteban and associate research fellow Bao Xichen. Through RICK technology, they separated RNA binding protein for the first time. The technology was an important tool for the comprehensive analysis of the interaction between RNA-protein in cells, which helped reveal the unknown functions of the “dark matter”--non-coding RNA in the genome.

The researchers shortened the time of marking and managed to separate new RNA binding protein in cells. The transcription of these proteins and new RNA is closely related with the subsequent regulation such as processing and cutting. The application of the technology will help deeply analyze the action mechanism of RNA binding protein and is also an important tool for analyzing the interaction of RNA and protein in the changes of the fate of cells. The research finding was published online by the journal Nature Methods on February 13, 2018.