Cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) mediate the coupled, electroneutral symport of cations such as Na⁺ and/or K⁺ with chloride across membrane. Among CCCs family, K-Cl cotransporters (KCC1-KCC4) extrude intracellular Cl^- by the transmembrane K⁺ gradient. In humans, these KCCs play vital roles in the physiology of the nervous system and kidney. However, mechanisms underlying the KCCs specific properties remain poorly understood, partly because purification of membrane proteins is challenging. Here, we present the protocol for purifying the full-length KCC1 from HEK293F cells used in our recent publication (Liu et al., 2019). The procedure may be adapted for functional and structural studies.

RNA-protein interactions are often mediated by dedicated canonical RNA binding domains. However, interactions through non-canonical domains with unknown specificity are increasingly observed, raising the question how RNA targets are recognized. Knowledge of the intrinsic RNA binding specificity contributes to the understanding of target selectivity and function of an individual protein.

The presented in vitro RNA immunoprecipitation assay (vitRIP) uncovers intrinsic RNA binding specificities of isolated proteins using the total cellular RNA pool as a library. Total RNA extracted from cells or tissues is incubated with purified recombinant proteins, RNA-protein complexes are immunoprecipitated and bound transcripts are identified by deep sequencing or quantitative RT-PCR.