Alteration of the m⁶A methylation landscape in a mouse model of scleroderma

Aim: To explore the N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) methylation of mRNAs and its roles in a mouse model of scleroderma. Materials & methods: To evaluate whether the mouse model of scleroderma could meet the experimental requirements, we examined skin tissue specimens by pathological staining and identified the related indicators by quantitative PCR  (qPCR). m⁶A-tagged mRNAs were identified via m⁶A epitranscriptomic microarray, and m⁶A-RNA-immunoprecipitation qPCR and qPCR were performed to confirm microarray data. Results: There were differences in m⁶A methylation among 843 mRNAs. Further, there were significant differences among Hras, Saa1, Ccl3, Ccl9 and Il1b in terms of methylation and expression. Conclusion: The m⁶A methylation spectrum in a mouse model of scleroderma may explain the occurrence of scleroderma.