N6-methyladenosine

For some time, biochemists have known about DNA and protein modifications—i.e. chemical changes that alter the function of genes and their protein products. Adding to that, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College recently found the same sort of modification in messenger RNA. In effect, this alteration, named “N6-methyladenosine,” is a fifth RNA nucleobase, and is usually located near a stop codon. How exactly this changes a cell’s function is unknown, but it appears to be involved in cancers, obesity, and neurological disorders.    MORE

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