Identification of Neuronal RNA Targets of TDP-43-Containing Ribonucleoprotein Complexes

We identify the RNA targets of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) from cortical neurons by RNA immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing (RIP-seq). We identify 4352 highly enriched RNA targets of TDP-43. We determined that the canonical TDP-43 binding site (TG)n was 55.1-fold enriched in our TDP-43 library. Moreover, our analysis shows there is often an adenine in the middle of the motif, (TG)nTA(TG)m. TDP-43 RNA targets are particularly enriched for Gene Ontology terms related to RNA metabolism, neuronal development, and synaptic function.