Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is a way to qualitatively and (relatively) quantify RNA modifications. More often than not, modifications cause an increase in mass for a given nucleoside. This gives a characteristic readout for the nucleoside and the modified counterpart. Moreover, mass spectrometry allows the investigation of modification dynamics by labeling RNA molecules with stable (non-radioactive) heavy isotopes "in vivo". Due to the defined mass increase of heavy isotope labeled nucleosides they can be distinguished from their respective unlabeled isotopomeres by mass spectrometry. This method, called NAIL-MS (nucleic acid isotope labeling coupled mass spectrometry), enables a variety of approaches to investigate RNA modification dynamics.