Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
08:56
A Method for Measuring RNA N6-methyladenosine Modifications in Cells and Tissues
Published on: December 5, 2016
11.2K
Insights into the N6-methyladenosine mechanism and its functionality: progress and questions
Margaret Scarrow1, Ning Chen1, Genlou Sun1
1Biology Department, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada.
Critical Reviews in Biotechnology
|April 24, 2020
Summary
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is crucial for gene regulation in eukaryotes. This review covers m6A formation, removal, and decoding across species, highlighting knowledge gaps and future research directions.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Epigenetics
- RNA Biology
Background:
- N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a prevalent RNA modification in eukaryotes.
- m6A marks are found in various RNA regions and influence gene expression, RNA stability, and translation.
- Dysregulation of m6A is linked to numerous human diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the fundamental mechanisms of m6A RNA methylation.
- To explore the roles of m6A readers, writers, and erasers.
- To investigate potential cross-talk between m6A and other regulatory pathways.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of m6A RNA methylation.
- Analysis of m6A formation, removal, and decoding processes.
- Examination of m6A cross-talk with other molecular mechanisms.
Main Results:
- m6A regulation involves a complex interplay of specific proteins.
- m6A modifications are conserved across animals, yeast, and plants.
- Significant gaps exist in understanding species- and tissue-specific m6A regulation.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive understanding of m6A mechanism and functionality is still developing.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the full scope of m6A's role in molecular governance.
- Exploring m6A cross-talk and mechanistic plasticity offers promising avenues for future studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids
811
Nucleic acid biosynthesis is a fundamental biochemical process that produces the purine and pyrimidine nucleotides essential for DNA and RNA synthesis. This pathway maintains a balanced nucleotide pool, preventing imbalances that could jeopardize genetic integrity and cellular function. Given the crucial role of nucleotides, their synthesis is tightly regulated to ensure proper cellular homeostasis.Purine BiosynthesisThe biosynthesis of purine nucleotides begins with ribose-5-phosphate, a...
811
01:53RNA Stability
35.5K
Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
35.5K
02:23RNA Editing
9.7K
RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification where a precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) nucleotide sequence is changed by base insertion, deletion, or modification. The extent of RNA editing varies from a few hundred bases, in mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomes, to a just single base, in nuclear genes of mammals. Even a single base change in the pre-mRNA can convert a codon for one amino acid into the codon for another amino acid or a stop codon. This type of re-coding can significantly affect the...
9.7K
01:35Pre-mRNA Processing: Modification of pre-mRNA Ends
13.3K
In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor mRNA or pre-mRNA to distinguish it from mature mRNA.
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a cap to the 5' end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5' phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached (7-methyl guanosine). This 5' cap helps...
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a cap to the 5' end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5' phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached (7-methyl guanosine). This 5' cap helps...
13.3K
01:25Nucleic Acid Structure
8.2K
The pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, while in RNA the pentose sugar is ribose. The difference between the sugars is the presence of the hydroxyl group on the ribose's second carbon and a hydrogen on the deoxyribose's second carbon. The phosphate residue attaches to the hydroxyl group of the 5′ carbon of one sugar and the hydroxyl group of the 3′ carbon of the sugar of the next nucleotide, which forms a 5′ to 3′ phosphodiester linkage.
DNA Structure
DNA...
DNA Structure
DNA...
8.2K
02:31Nuclear Export of mRNA
8.5K
Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
8.5K