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Cancer: monitoring messenger RNA modifications A thorough investigation into the role and function of RNA modifications in cancers could yield novel therapies. The chemical modification of messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecule that carries code from DNA to synthesize proteins, is thought to play a role in influencing genetically inherited traits and diseases. A common modification found in mRNA is N 6-methyladenosine (m6A). Disruption to the regulation of m6A modification has been linked with human cancers. Junho Choe and Seung Hun Han at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea, reviewed current understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind m6A modification, with particular reference to tumor formation. The researchers point out that abnormal expression of proteins associated with m6A may lead to heightened expression of cancer-related genes. More extensive m6A modification levels are also linked to tumor formation.