Messenger RNA (mRNA) modification provides an additional layer of gene regulation in cells. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Zhang et al. report that ALKBH5, a demethylase of the mRNA modification N6-methyladenosine, regulates proliferation and self-renewal of glioblastoma stem-like cells by modulating pre-mRNA stability and expression of the FOXM1 gene 1).

1)
Dixit D, Xie Q, Rich JN, Zhao JC. Messenger RNA Methylation Regulates Glioblastoma Tumorigenesis. Cancer Cell. 2017 Apr 10;31(4):474-475. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2017.03.010. PubMed PMID: 28399407.