Modified Nucleosides in Body Fluids of Tumor-Bearing Patients

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Abstract
The multifunctional cellular role of tRNA is derived from its molecular structure, which is attained through a complex process of biosynthesis, including covalent modifications of many nucleosides (see Salvatore et al. 1982). In fact tRNA is the nucleic acid species which contains the highest and most varied number of modified nucleosides: among the tRNA species analyzed, more than 40 positions along the primary structure have been found occupied by a modified nucleoside (see Agris 1980). About 50 different types of modified nucleosides have been identified, and in a single tRNA species up to 15 of them can be present. In most cases, three or four are ψ residues and between four and ten are methylated nucleosides (see Dirheimer et al. 1979).