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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Research topic

Open research questions in RNA modifications and cancer

243 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 460 RNA modifications and cancer papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • exploring the potential of m6A-targeted therapies for treating AKI - investigating the mechanisms by which m6A influences the pathogenesis of AKI through various cellular processes

    The crucial role of N6-methyladenosine modification in acute kidney injury: mechanisms and therapeutic potential · 2026 · DOI

  • a precision-oncology approach to URM1 signaling will require biomarkers that reflect pathway activity and functional dependence - further studies are needed to determine whether a therapeutically exploitable differential exists between tumor and normal tissues

    URMylation Signaling Pathway in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities · 2026 · DOI

  • The role of m6A methylation in aging-associated cognitive impairment remains underexplored. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating m6A-mediated regulation in hippocampal aging processes. The paper explores the regulatory axis that modulates cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway activity.

    METTL3/IGF2BP1 Axis Orchestrates m6A-Dependent NCAM1 Preservation to Combat Age-Related Cognitive Decline · 2026 · DOI

  • The complexity of the post-transcriptional landscape of diabetic cardiomyopathy. The need for a comprehensive epigenetic-transcriptional regulatory map of diabetic cardiomyopathy. The challenge of integrating multiple omics datasets to understand the molecular mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

    Integrative multi-omics analysis unveils the regulatory landscape of diabetic cardiomyopathy: from chromatin accessibility to transcript isoforms and epitranscriptome · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to investigate the molecular pathogenic mechanisms of DCM, - The role of epigenetic modifications and transcriptional networks in DCM needs to be further explored, - The application of the findings to human DCM needs to be investigated

    Integrative multi-omics analysis unveils the regulatory landscape of diabetic cardiomyopathy: from chromatin accessibility to transcript isoforms and epitranscriptome · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigation of the role of mRNA processing in cancer immunotherapy - Development of new technologies to identify immunotherapy targets based on mRNA processing - Assessment of the current state of clinical translation, including agent development, target specificity, patient selection, biomarkers and safety

    mRNA processing in cancer immunotherapy: emerging targets, resistance mechanisms, and therapeutic opportunities · 2026 · DOI

  • developing specific inhibitors faces several challenges, including the highly conserved nature of the catalytic pocket, limited selectivity of potential compounds, and uncertain pharmacokinetic properties in vivo

    NSUN5 and RNA m5C epitranscriptomic regulation in tumor progression · 2026 · DOI

  • integrating structural biology, computational drug design, and high-throughput screening to improve both target specificity and bioactivity of candidate compounds, - investigating the role of NSUN5 in other cancer types

    NSUN5 and RNA m5C epitranscriptomic regulation in tumor progression · 2026 · DOI

  • The complexity of one-carbon metabolism and its role in spermatogenesis, - The variability in individual responses to folic acid supplementation, - The need for personalized nutritional approaches for optimizing sperm quality.

    Folic acid and sperm quality improvement: insights from snRNA sequencing and RNA splicing mechanisms · 2025 · DOI

  • Current evidence presents notable contradictions and limitations, - Several well-designed clinical trials reported null effects on semen parameters and live birth rates despite adequate statistical power, - The need for robust large-scale trials with precise control over variables such as dosage and treatment duration, - The importance of considering individual variability in genetic predispositions and current health status

    Folic acid and sperm quality improvement: insights from snRNA sequencing and RNA splicing mechanisms · 2025 · DOI

  • developing therapeutic strategies for SARS-CoV-2-associated myocarditis, - providing insights into the molecular mechanisms of m5C methylation in SARS-CoV-2 infection

    RNA m5C methylation modification: a potential therapeutic target for SARS-CoV-2-associated myocarditis · 2024 · DOI

  • However, the assembly of the Rixosome, its recruitment to pre-ribosomes, and its activation for ITS2 cleavage remain unclear.

    Dynamic architecture of the Rixosome reveals mechanism of activation and ITS2 processing · 2026 · DOI

  • Typically, rRNA modifications are quantified in bulk, and therefore, coordination on individual RNA molecules has remained poorly understood.

    Single-molecule nanopore sequencing reveals spatial coordination of rRNA modifications in human ribosomes · 2026 · DOI

  • However, alternative mechanisms that process these stalled intermediates remain poorly defined.

    Jlp2 is a non-canonical release factor that protects cells during ribosome stalling · 2026 · DOI

  • How these modifications impact on gene expression and are decoded by reader proteins, however, remains uncertain.

    LARP1-DM15/Sgt is a reader for cap-adjacent 2`-O-ribose methylation in TOP ribosomal protein mRNAs required for localization to synapses · 2026 · DOI

  • Although m6A dysregulation has been implicated in addiction neurobiology, comprehensive characterization of m6A alterations in alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains unexplored.

    Altered m6A methylation across eight reward- and motor-related brain regions in alcohol use disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • IMPORTANCE Viruses must overcome host innate immune defenses to establish infection; however, the mechanisms by which they manipulate host RNA regulation remain incompletely understood.

    PRRSV suppresses FTO-dependent m6A demethylation to reprogram STAT signaling and innate immunity · 2026 · DOI

  • ABSTRACT RNA viruses have evolved diverse strategies to evade host interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) defenses; however, how they exploit host epitranscriptomic regulation remains poorly understood.

    PRRSV suppresses FTO-dependent m6A demethylation to reprogram STAT signaling and innate immunity · 2026 · DOI

  • However, its systematic function across pan-cancer and its specific mechanism in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remain unclear.

    METTL3-mediated m6A modification of RBM39 promotes cancer stemness and tumor progression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma · 2026 · DOI

  • N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the predominant eukaryotic RNA modification, regulates various cell death mechanisms; however, its role in cuproptosis within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

    METTL3-mediated m6A modification of FDX1 confers resistance to cuproptosis and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression · 2026 · DOI

  • Yet the molecular logic instructing disseminating cells where to land remains poorly understood.

    The m6A Epitranscriptome as an Architect of Metastatic Organotropism in Gastrointestinal Cancers: Shaping the Hepatic and Peritoneal Pre-metastatic Niche · 2026 · DOI

  • Adaptation to various models of chronic hypoxia represents a well-recognized physiological process that enhances cardiac tolerance to ischemic stress; however, the molecular mechanisms coordinating metabolic, proteomic, and post-transcriptional remodeling in this adaptive response to low-oxygen conditions remain insufficiently understood.

    Integrative multi-omic profiling of the chronically hypoxic heart: focus on m6A and m6Am epitranscriptomic regulation · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the precise biochemical functions of FTO and the relative contributions of RNA modifications remain incompletely understood.

    FTO in cardiovascular diseases: mechanisms, context dependence, and translational opportunities · 2026 · DOI

  • Nevertheless, the precise role of m6A in LPS-induced macrophage inflammatory responses remains elusive.

    Silencing of Zc3h13 attenuates LPS-induced inflammatory response in macrophages via m6A-dependent stabilization of Spic mRNA · 2026 · DOI

  • Negative regulators are crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis, yet the complexities of their regulatory mechanisms are not fully elucidated.

    IGF2BP2 condensates stabilize DOK3 to negatively regulate inflammatory responses · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in RNA modifications and cancer

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243 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 460 RNA modifications and cancer papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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