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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

DNAzyme-dependent Analysis of rRNA 2’-O-Methylation
Published on: September 16, 2019
Synthesis, Function, and Heterogeneity of snoRNA-Guided Posttranscriptional Nucleoside Modifications in Eukaryotic
Anthony K Henras1, Célia Plisson-Chastang1, Odile Humbert1
1Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
Abstract:
Ribosomal RNAs contain numerous 2'-O-methylated nucleosides and pseudouridines. Methylation of the 2' oxygen of ribose moieties and isomerization of uridines into pseudouridines are catalyzed by C/D and H/ACA small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein particles, respectively. We review the composition, structure, and mode of action of archaeal and eukaryotic C/D and H/ACA particles. Most rRNA modifications cluster in functionally crucial regions of the rRNAs, suggesting they play important roles in translation. Some of these modifications promote global translation efficiency or modulate translation fidelity. Strikingly, recent quantitative nucleoside modification profiling methods have revealed that a subset of modification sites is not always fully modified. The finding of such ribosome heterogeneity is in line with the concept of specialized ribosomes that could preferentially translate specific mRNAs. This emerging concept is supported by findings that some human diseases are caused by defects in the rRNA modification machinery correlated with a significant alteration of IRES-dependent translation.
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