INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF PROTEIN–RNA INTERACTION NETWORKS IN CELLULAR FUNCTION

Abstract

Protein-RNA binding is an important factor influencing gene regulation and cellular homeostasis. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are involved in the interaction with various RNA molecules to regulate their processes, including splicing, transport, stability, and translation. Although high-throughput technologies have advanced, little of a thorough understanding of such interactions is made at the network level. The proposed study will conduct an integrative analysis of protein-RNA interaction networks to reveal key regulatory elements and learn how they can be involved in the processes occurring in cells. Published datasets such as CLIP-seq data, RNA-seq data, were gathered and pre-processed to build a high-confidence interaction network. Topological properties, identification of hub nodes and functional modules were assessed using computational tools and network analysis techniques. The biological significance was interpreted by performing the functional enrichment analysis with the help of Gene Ontology and pathway databases. The created network demonstrated complicated patterns of interaction with highly connected hub RBPs and modular structure. The centrality measures were used to identify key regulatory proteins, which may play a role in coordinating the expression of the genes. The analysis of enrichment revealed extensive participation in the pathways connected with RNA processing, cellular response to stress, and signal transduction. The analysis is an integrative network-based study that offers information on the distribution and functional importance of protein-RNA interactions and contributes to a better understanding of cellular regulation, and can be used as a target in future biomedical studies.