Rna Pull-Down Confocal Nanoscanning (Rp-Cona) Detects Quercetin As Pri-Mir-7/Hur Interaction Inhibitor That Decreases Alpha-Synuclein Levels

RNA-protein interactions are central to all gene expression processes and contribute to a variety of human diseases. Therapeutic approaches targeting RNA-protein interactions have shown promising effects on some diseases that are previously regarded as 'incurable'. Here, we developed a fluorescent on-bead screening platform, RNA Pull-Down COnfocal NAnoscanning (RP-CONA), to identity RNA-protein interaction modulators in eukaryotic cell extracts. Using RP-CONA, we identified small molecules that disrupt the interaction between HuR, an inhibitor of brain-enriched miR-7 biogenesis, and the conserved terminal loop of pri-miR-7-1. Importantly. miR-7's primary target is an mRNA of alpha-synuclein, which contributes to the aetiology of Parkinson's disease. Our method identified a natural product quercetin as a molecule able to upregulate cellular miR-7 levels and downregulate the expression of alpha-synuclein. This opens up new therapeutic avenues towards treatment of Parkinson's disease as well as provides a novel methodology to search for modulators of RNA-protein interaction.