The sequence genetic code based on the four canonical Watson-Crick nucleosides has been an accepted paradigm for decades, however, an important aspect of it has recently been overturned. We learned that additional nucleosides exist in DNA, which establish a second layer of information that is important e.g. to differentiation processes. Along the same line, we now start to understand that the numerous known modified RNA nucleosides are part of a similar “hidden” program that we are just beginning to understand.

Indeed, deciphering the modified “genetic” code that is embodied by these modified DNA and RNA bases is currently one of the hottest topics in (Chemical) Biology. Unveiling the new hidden layer of information in the genetic code beyond the classical four-letter alphabet is the aim of current research effort, and of this conference. An analogues situation has emerged in the RNA field. Regulatory mechanisms acting on the transcriptome are central to cellular processes governing cell biology, development and tissue function. RNA modifications are merging key players in the field of posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, and are now attracting a level of research interest equal to DNA and histone modifications in the field of epigenetics. The true potential of only a handful out of more than 100 RNA modifications is currently emerging as the consequence of a leap in technology, most of which is associated to high throughput sequencing, and thus applicable to epitranscriptome wide studies.

Picture: Leigh Prather