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Updated: Dec 26, 2025

RNA-based Reprogramming of Human Primary Fibroblasts into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: November 26, 2018
YTHDF2 destabilizes m6A-modified neural-specific RNAs to restrain differentiation in induced pluripotent stem cells
Adam M Heck1,2, Joseph Russo2, Jeffrey Wilusz1,2
1Program in Cell & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA.
Abstract:
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant post-transcriptional modification that can impact RNA fate via interactions with m6A-specific RNA binding proteins. Despite accumulating evidence that m6A plays an important role in modulating pluripotency, the influence of m6A reader proteins in pluripotency is less clear. Here, we report that YTHDF2, an m6A reader associated with mRNA degradation, is highly expressed in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and down-regulated during neural differentiation. Through RNA sequencing, we identified a group of m6A-modified transcripts associated with neural development that are directly regulated by YTDHF2. Depletion of YTHDF2 in iPSCs leads to stabilization of these transcripts, loss of pluripotency, and induction of neural-specific gene expression. Collectively, our results suggest YTHDF2 functions to restrain expression of neural-specific mRNAs in iPSCs and facilitate their rapid and coordinated up-regulation during neural induction. These effects are both achieved by destabilization of the targeted transcripts.
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