N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A): Revisiting the Old with Focus on New, an Arabidopsis thaliana Centered Review

Genes (Basel). 2018 Nov 30;9(12):596. doi: 10.3390/genes9120596.

Abstract

N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is known to occur in plant and animal messenger RNAs (mRNAs) since the 1970s. However, the scope and function of this modification remained un-explored till very recently. Since the beginning of this decade, owing to major technological breakthroughs, the interest in m⁶A has peaked again. Similar to animal mRNAs, plant mRNAs are also m⁶A methylated, within a specific sequence motif which is conserved across these kingdoms. m⁶A has been found to be pivotal for plant development and necessary for processes ranging from seed germination to floral development. A wide range of proteins involved in methylation of adenosine have been identified alongside proteins that remove or identify m⁶A. This review aims to put together the current knowledge regarding m⁶A in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Keywords: ALKBH; Arabidopsis; FIP37; N6-methyladenosine; YTDHF; mRNA m6A methyltransferase (MTA), MTB.

Publication types

  • Review