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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Characterizing RNA Modifications in Single Neurons Using Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 21, 2022
LC/MS analysis of cellular RNA reveals NAD-linked RNA
Y Grace Chen1, Walter E Kowtoniuk, Isha Agarwal
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
We developed a general method to detect cellular small molecule-RNA conjugates that does not rely on the reactivity of the small molecule. This technique revealed NAD-linked RNA in Escherichia coli and Streptomyces venezuelae. Subsequent characterization showed that NAD is a 5' modification of RNA, cannot be installed in vitro through aberrant transcriptional initiation, is only found among smaller cellular RNAs and is present at a surprisingly high abundance of approximately 3,000 copies per cell.
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