RNA N⁶-Methyladenosine and the Regulation of RNA Localization and Function in the Brain

A major challenge in neurobiology in the 21st century is to understand how the brain adapts with experience. Activity-dependent gene expression is integral to the synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory; however, this process cannot be explained by a simple linear trajectory of transcription to translation within a specific neuronal population. Many other regulatory mechanisms can influence RNA metabolism and the capacity of neurons to adapt. In particular, the RNA modification N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) has recently been shown to regulate RNA processing through alternative splicing, RNA stability, and translation. Here, we discuss the emerging idea that m⁶A could also coordinate the transport, localization, and local translation of key mRNAs in learning and memory and expand on the notion of dynamic functional RNA states in the brain.