Here, authors focus on recently discovered regulatory functions of RNA modifications and discuss their emerging roles in regulating cell fate in normal tissues and cancer.

Authors discovered that CD36-dependent non-dividing, metastasis-initiating tumour cells require mitochondrial m5C to activate invasion and dissemination. They show that a mitochondria-driven gene signature in patients with head and neck cancer is predictive for metastasis and disease progression.

Authors review the types of RNA modifications, how RNA modification profiles are altered in response to changes in the microenvironment and what we need to do to integrate RNA modifications into clinical approaches.