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RNA METABOLISM

How m6A makes its mark

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 23, page 519 (2022)Cite this article

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Nowadays, it is widely appreciated that mRNAs undergo a variety of chemical modifications that influence their function. However, as recently as ten years ago, our knowledge of the so-called ‘epitranscriptome’ was quite limited. The discovery in 2012 that thousands of cellular mRNAs contain the modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A) helped spark a renewed interest in mRNA modifications, and since then our knowledge of m6A and how it functions has grown exponentially.

The ways in which m6A controls cellular mRNAs are diverse: perform a quick literature search and you will not have difficulty finding studies that support roles for m6A in nearly every aspect of the mRNA life cycle. However, one of the most consistently reported functions of m6A has been to promote mRNA degradation. Although recent advances in sequencing and other technologies have contributed substantially to these discoveries, it was pioneering work done in 1978 that first suggested that m6A contributes to mRNA decay.

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References

Original article

  • Sommer, S. et al. The absolute frequency of labeled N-6-methyladenosine in HeLa cell messenger RNA decreases with label time. J. Mol. Biol. 124, 487–499 (1978)

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  1. Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Kate D. Meyer

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  1. Kate D. Meyer
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Correspondence to Kate D. Meyer.

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Meyer, K.D. How m6A makes its mark. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 23, 519 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-022-00492-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-022-00492-9

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