m6A Modification in Mammalian Nervous System Development, Functions, Disorders, and Injuries

Jun Yu; Yuanchu She; Sheng-Jian Ji

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.679662

m⁶A Modification in Mammalian Nervous System Development, Functions, Disorders, and Injuries

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 May 25:9:679662. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.679662. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jun Yu^{1

2}, Yuanchu She¹, Sheng-Jian Ji¹

Affiliations

¹ Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Systems Biology, Brain Research Center, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
² SUSTech-HKU Joint Ph.D. Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Abstract

N ⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification, as the most prevalent internal modification on mRNA, has been implicated in many biological processes through regulating mRNA metabolism. Given that m⁶A modification is highly enriched in the mammalian brain, this dynamic modification provides a crucial new layer of epitranscriptomic regulation of the nervous system. Here, in this review, we summarize the recent progress on studies of m⁶A modification in the mammalian nervous system ranging from neuronal development to basic and advanced brain functions. We also highlight the detailed underlying mechanisms in each process mediated by m⁶A writers, erasers, and readers. Besides, the involvement of dysregulated m⁶A modification in neurological disorders and injuries is discussed as well.

Keywords: development; learning and memory; m6A modification; nervous system; neurological disorders.

Publication types

Review