Modified tRNA: Fully equipped and ready to strike

摘要

The presence of pseudouridine in nucleic acids was first reported in the early 1950s, effectively marking the birth of the posttranscriptional modification field. To date, it is well established that, following their synthesis, DNA and RNA undergo modifications that act as modulators and regulators of function. Of all the nucleic acids in a cell (whether of archaeal, bacterial, or eukaryal origin), tRNAs undergo, by far, the largest and most diverse set of naturally occurring chemical modifications. These may affect a tRNA molecule both structurally and functionally. Because the positional mapping and synthesis of most modifications have proven to be technically challenging, assessing how multiple and varying sets of modifications are integrated to affect function has remained a tall order.