The long noncoding RNAs NEAT1 and MALAT1 bind active chromatin sites

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of chromatin; however, the mechanistic roles for many lncRNAs are poorly understood in part because their direct interactions with genomic loci and proteins are difficult to assess. We used CHART-seq to map the genomic binding sites for two highly expressed human lncRNAs, NEAT1 and MALAT1, which localize within the nucleus to paraspeckles and nuclear speckles, respectively. We show that NEAT1 and MALAT1 localize to hundreds of genomic sites in human cells, primarily over active genes. NEAT1 and MALAT1 exhibit colocalization to many of these loci, but display distinct gene body binding patterns at these sites, suggesting independent but complementary functions for these RNAs. Protein mass spectrometry analysis of CHART-enriched material (CHART-MS) identified numerous proteins enriched by both lncRNAs, supporting complementary binding and function, in addition to unique associated proteins. Transcriptional inhibition or stimulation affects the localization of NEAT1 to active chromatin sites, implying that DNA sequence itself does not target NEAT1 to chromatin and that localization responds to cues involved in the transcription process.