The NSUN2 gene encodes a methyltransferase with a NOL1/NOP2/Sun domain. NSUN2 catalyzes the methylation of cytosine 34 (C34) of intron-containing tRNA(Leu)(CAA) and of C47 and C48 of tRNA-asp(GTC) precursors. This modification stabilizes anticodon-codon pairing and correctly translates the mRNA. It was also demonstrated that this modification protects tRNA from cleavage and degradation. NSUN2 is known to operate downstream of c-MYC during cell proliferation. Independent of its methyltransferase activity, NSUN2 interacts with the mitotic spindle and plays an important role in cell division.
Four different transcripts of NSUN2 are expressed in human brain at various times during development. And the full length protein is 767 amino acid long.