Genome-Wide Screening of Altered m6A-Tagged Transcript Profiles in the Hippocampus after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice

Abstract

Aim: To systematically profile RNA m6A modification landscape after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice. Materials & methods: Expression of m6A-related genes was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Expression and location of METTL3, a key component of m6A methyltransferase complex, were determined by immunostaining. Genome-wide profiling of m6A-tagged transcripts was conducted by m6A-modified RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (m6A-RIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Results: METTL3 was downregulated after TBI. In total, 922 m6A peaks were differentially expressed as determined by m6A-RIP-seq, with 370 upregulated and 552 downregulated. In addition, we identified differentially expressed hypomethylated and hypermethylated mRNA transcripts. Conclusion: Our data provided novel information regarding m6A modification changes in the early period of TBI, which might be promising therapy targets.

Keywords::

• hippocampus
• N6-methyladenosine (m6A)
• traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: https://www.tandfonline.comhttp://doi/suppl10.2217/epi-2019-0002

Author’s contributions

Y Wang, B Xie and J Zhu contributed to design the research; Y Wang, J Mao, X Wang, Y Lin and G Hou performed the research; and Y Wang and B Xie analyzed the data and wrote the paper.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This research was partly supported by Doctoral Innovation Fund Projects from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (BXJ201824) and partly supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81770311). 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.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partly supported by Doctoral Innovation Fund Projects from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (BXJ201824) and partly supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81770311). 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.