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RNA:DNA HYBRIDS

m6A RNA modification as a new player in R-loop regulation

Nature Genetics volume 52, pages 27–28 (2020)Cite this article

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RNA:DNA hybrids that form across genomes control a wide range of biological processes. A new study shows that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification on the RNA moieties regulates the formation and genome integrity of these hybrids. This finding opens a new avenue of research on how RNA modifications (the ‘epitranscriptome’) can help control genome maintenance.

m6A is thought to be the most prevalent internal messenger RNA modification in eukaryotes. This reversible mark plays key roles in the post-transcriptional control of gene expression by affecting nearly every step of RNA metabolism, such as splicing, export, translation and degradation (Fig. 1). m6A is added co-transcriptionally by ‘writers’ (for example, METTL3), recognized by specific proteins called ‘readers’ (for example, YTHDF1–3 and YTHDC1–2) and removed by ‘erasers’ (for example, FTO)5. Importantly, the diverse regulatory functions of m6A are determined mainly by the identity of the m6A-bound reader. The list of physiological processes affected by m6A is expanding and includes DNA-damage6 and viral-infection responses, cell differentiation, brain development, cell growth and tumor progression5,7,8.

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Fig. 1: Expanding the functions of the m6A RNA pathway.

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  • 20 January 2020

    In the version of the article originally published, the subject preceding the title contained placeholder text rather than the correct ‘RNA:DNA hybrids’. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

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  1. LBCMCP, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France

    Aline Marnef & Gaëlle Legube

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  1. Aline Marnef
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  2. Gaëlle Legube
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Correspondence to Gaëlle Legube.

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Marnef, A., Legube, G. m6A RNA modification as a new player in R-loop regulation. Nat Genet 52, 27–28 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0563-z

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