Researchers have recently had a growing interest in understanding the functional role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in chromatin organization. Accumulated evidence suggests lncRNAs could act as interphase molecules between chromatin and chromatin remodelers to define the epigenetic code. However, it is not clear how lncRNAs target chromatin remodelers to specific chromosomal regions in order to establish a functionally distinct epigenetic state of chromatin. We developed and optimized chromatin RNA immunoprecipitation (ChRIP) technology to characterize the lncRNAs associated with active and inactive chromatin compartments. Use of ChRIP to identify chromatin-bound lncRNA will further improve our knowledge regarding the functional role of lncRNAs in establishing epigenetic modifications of chromatin.
Keywords: Active chromatin; Chromatin; EZH2; Epigenetics; Gene regulation; H3K27me3; Inactive chromatin; Long noncoding RNA.