RNA modification: the Golden Period 1995–2015
- Institute for Intégrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
- Corresponding author: henri.grosjean{at}cgm.cnrs-gif.fr
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
The study of RNA modification started in 1957 when the first modified nucleoside was discovered in bulk yeast RNA, pseudouridine: a fifth nucleotide, was born. After a long period of arduous and somewhat frustrating works, remarkable results have been obtained in the last two decades, made possible by new technology developed in many laboratories, and have engendered a renaissance of interest in the field. Research on RNA modification has always been and remains a real chest of treasures. I am happy to add my personal comments to this anniversary edition of RNA.
In 1995, 93 naturally occurring modified nucleosides were known. They were identified in molecules that were abundant and stable in the cell, namely tRNAs, rRNAs, and snRNAs. Today the count is 114. The number increases to 141 if we include residues that are doubly modified, like those containing a modified base and a methylation of the ribose …
