New Twists in Detecting mRNA Modification Dynamics

Modified nucleotides in mRNA are an essential addition to the standard genetic code of four nucleotides in animals, plants, and their viruses. The emerging field of epitranscriptomics examines nucleotide modifications in mRNA and their impact on gene expression. The low abundance of nucleotide modifications and technical limitations, however, have hampered systematic analysis of their occurrence and functions. Selective chemical and immunological identification of modified nucleotides has revealed global candidate topology maps for many modifications in mRNA, but further technical advances to increase confidence will be necessary. Single-molecule sequencing introduced by Oxford Nanopore now promises to overcome such limitations, and we summarize current progress with a particular focus on the bioinformatic challenges of this novel sequencing technology.

Automated summary

This study discusses the importance of modified nucleotides in mRNA and the challenges in studying their occurrence and functions due to their low abundance and technical limitations. Selective chemical and immunological identification methods have provided global candidate topology maps, but further technical advances are needed to increase confidence. The introduction of single-molecule sequencing technology by Oxford Nanopore shows promise in overcoming these limitations and addressing the bioinformatic challenges of this novel sequencing technology.