New Vistas for Cell-Surface GlycoRNAs

Discoveries in noncoding RNA have shown it to be remarkably diverse in function and form and to have relevance in drug development. A recent study showed that some noncoding RNAs are glycosylated and sialylated and expressed on the surface of the plasma membrane. Moreover, some interact with Siglec-15, an immune suppressor that is up-regulated in human cancer cells and tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells.