Messenger RNA modifications: Form, distribution, and function

Novel RNA modifications in the nervous system: form and function.

Modified RNA molecules have recently been shown to regulate nervous system functions. This mini-review and associated mini-symposium provide an overview of the types and known functions of novel modified RNAs in the nervous system, including covalently modified RNAs, edited RNAs, and circular RNAs. We discuss basic molecular mechanisms involving RNA modifications as well as the impact of modifi...

Messenger RNA.

RNA biochemistry. Transcriptome-wide distribution and function of RNA hydroxymethylcytosine.

Hydroxymethylcytosine, well described in DNA, occurs also in RNA. Here, we show that hydroxymethylcytosine preferentially marks polyadenylated RNAs and is deposited by Tet in Drosophila. We map the transcriptome-wide hydroxymethylation landscape, revealing hydroxymethylcytosine in the transcripts of many genes, notably in coding sequences, and identify consensus sites for hydroxymethylation. We...

Who discovered messenger RNA?

The announcement of the discovery of messenger RNA (mRNA) and the cracking of the genetic code took place within weeks of each other in a climax of scientific excitement during the summer of 1961. Although mRNA is of decisive importance to our understanding of gene function, no Nobel Prize was awarded for its discovery. The large number of people involved, the complex nature of the results, and...

Haemoglobin messenger RNA.

This is a short review on the isolation and translation in heterologous Systems of a 9 s RNA which carries the information of haemoglobin. Rabbit haemodobin (Hb) messenger RNA (mRNA) was the first eukaryotic genetic message to be isolated, quite a long time ago (1). This was mainly due to the fact that mammalian reticulocytes offer the favourable opportunity of being highly specialized cells wh...