Review
Structural Insights into N6-methyladenosine (m6A) Modification in the Transcriptome

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gpb.2018.03.001Get rights and content
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Abstract

More than 100 types of chemical modifications in RNA have been well documented. Recently, several modifications, such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), have been detected in mRNA, opening the window into the realm of epitranscriptomics. The m6A modification is the most abundant modification in mRNA and non-coding RNA (ncRNA). At the molecular level, m6A affects almost all aspects of mRNA metabolism, including splicing, translation, and stability, as well as microRNA (miRNA) maturation, playing essential roles in a range of cellular processes. The m6A modification is regulated by three classes of proteins generally referred to as the “writer” (adenosine methyltransferase), “eraser” (m6A demethylating enzyme), and “reader” (m6A-binding protein). The m6A modification is reversibly installed and removed by writers and erasers, respectively. Readers, which are members of the YT521-B homology (YTH) family proteins, selectively bind to RNA and affect its fate in an m6A-dependent manner. In this review, we summarize the structures of the functional proteins that modulate the m6A modification, and provide our insights into the m6A-mediated gene regulation.

Keywords

Epitranscriptomics
M6A modification
Writer
Reader
Eraser

Cited by (0)

Peer review under responsibility of Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Genetics Society of China.

a

ORCID: 0000-0003-0902-6357.

b

ORCID: 0000-0001-8001-221X.