The detection, function, and therapeutic potential of RNA 2'-O-methylation

The RNA modification 2'-O-methylation (Nm) is an RNA modification has emerging roles in gene regulation and disease. Using Oxford Nanopore direct RNA sequencing and the NanoNm machine learning tool, researchers mapped thousands of Nm sites at single-base resolution. They found that Nm has regulatory roles in mRNA and structural roles in rRNA, with implications for cancer, neurodegeneration, and viral immune evasion — highlighting its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target in the future.