Dynamic N6-Methyladenosine RNA Methylation in Brain and Diseases

Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is a dynamic RNA modification that regulates various aspects of RNA metabolism and has been implicated in many biological processes and transitions. m⁶A is highly abundant in the brain; however, only recently has the role of m⁶A in brain development been a focus. The machinery that controls m⁶A is critically important for proper neurodevelopment, and the precise mechanisms by which m⁶A regulates these processes are starting to emerge. However, the role of m⁶A in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases still requires much elucidation. This review discusses and summarizes the current body of knowledge surrounding the function of the m⁶A modification in regulating normal brain development, neurodegenerative diseases and outlines possible future directions.

Keywords::

• epitranscriptomics
• N6-methyladenosine
• neurodegenerative disease
• neurodevelopment
• neurogenesis

author-contributions

AM Shafik wrote the manuscript. EG Allen and P Jin commented and edited the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This research was supported in part by the NIH (NS079625, NS051630, NS111602, NS097206, HG008935, and MH116441 to P Jin). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

Please disclose any relevant information regarding the ethical conduct of your research. For studies involving data relating to human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board approval is required and should be described within the article and in this disclosure, as per the ICMJE recommendations on Protection of Research Participants, and the further recommendations of the International Association of Veterinary Editors’ Consensus Author Guidelines for Animal Use. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, authors should obtain informed consent from the participants involved and include an explanation of how this was obtained in the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by the NIH (NS079625, NS051630, NS111602, NS097206, HG008935, and MH116441 to P Jin). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.