The Reversible Methylation of m6A Is Involved in Plant Virus Infection

Abstract

In recent years, m6A RNA methylation has attracted broad interest and is becoming a hot research topic. It has been demonstrated that there is a strong association between m6A and viral infection in the human system. The life cycles of plant RNA viruses are often coordinated with the mechanisms of their RNA modification. Here, we reviewed recent advances in m6A methylation in plant viruses. It appears that m6A methylation plays a dual role during viral infection in plants. On the one hand, m6A methylation acts as an antiviral immune response induced by virus infection, which inhibits viral replication or translation through the methylation of viral genome RNAs. On the other hand, plant viruses could disrupt the m6A methylation through interacting with the key proteins of the m6A pathway to avoid modification. Those plant viruses containing ALKB domain are discussed as well. Based on this mechanism, we propose that new strategies for plant virus control could be designed with competitive antagonists of m6A-associated proteins.

Keywords: defense mechanism; m6A methylation; plant viruses.

Figure 1

Schematic overview of virus-induced regulation of m6A methylation. When viral RNAs invade into plant cells, the m6A RNA methylase, demethylase and YTH domain proteins will modify the viral RNA. This might directly affect viral RNA stability, translation, and viral particle packaging. Alternatively, viral infection indirectly influences the expression level of host antiviral proteins, which could contribute or restrict viral infection.