RNA cytosine methylation by Dnmt2 and NSun2 promotes tRNA stability and protein synthesis

lthough cytosine-C5 methylation is a prominent modification of tRNAs, its functional significance has been unclear. Mice that lack both the Dnmt2 and NSun2 tRNA methyltransferases showed developmental and cellular differentiation defects, and loss of Dnmt2 and NSun2 was further associated with tRNA degradation and reduced rates of protein synthesis, suggesting that this modification promotes mouse development by supporting protein synthesis.