Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 24, 2025

Measuring Gene Expression in Bombarded Barley Aleurone Layers with Increased Throughput
10:29

Measuring Gene Expression in Bombarded Barley Aleurone Layers with Increased Throughput

Published on: March 30, 2018

6.6K

The RNA N6 -methyladenosine demethylase ALKBH9B modulates ABA responses in Arabidopsis

Jun Tang1, Junbo Yang1, Qiang Lu1

  • 1Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.

Journal of Integrative Plant Biology
|October 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) induces mRNA N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) modification. The ALKBH9B enzyme removes m6 A from endogenous mRNA, regulating ABA responses.

Area of Science:

  • Plant molecular biology
  • Epigenetics
  • Plant hormone signaling

Background:

  • N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) is a crucial mRNA modification in plants, influencing development and stress responses.
  • The m6 A demethylase ALKBH9B is known to affect viral RNA but its role in endogenous plant mRNA is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ALKBH9B in endogenous mRNA m6 A modification and abscisic acid (ABA) responses in plants.
  • To determine if ALKBH9B exhibits demethylation activity on plant mRNA and its biological significance.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated m6 A modification induction by ABA.
  • Assessed ALKBH9B's demethylation activity on endogenous mRNA.
  • Utilized knockout mutants (alkbh9b) to study ABA hypersensitivity.
  • Analyzed the impact of ALKBH9B on ABI1 and BES1 transcript stability.
  • Performed genetic analysis involving ABI3 and ABI5 transcription factors.

Main Results:

  • mRNA m6 A modification is induced by ABA.
  • ALKBH9B demonstrates m6 A demethylation activity on endogenous mRNA.
  • Loss of ALKBH9B causes hypersensitivity to ABA during germination and seedling development.
  • ALKBH9B removes m6 A from ABA INSENSITIVE 1 (ABI1) and BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 (BES1) transcripts, affecting their stability.
  • ALKBH9B functions upstream of ABI3 and ABI5 in ABA signaling pathways.

Conclusions:

  • ALKBH9B plays a critical role in regulating plant responses to ABA.
  • ALKBH9B-mediated m6 A demethylation is a key post-transcriptional mechanism controlling ABA signaling.
  • m6 A modification is integral to ABA-induced developmental processes and stress responses in plants.
Keywords:
ABAALKBH9BArabidopsisRNA modificationdemethylasem6A

More Related Videos

Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation Assay to Study m5C Modification in Arabidopsis08:50

Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation Assay to Study m5C Modification in Arabidopsis

Published on: May 14, 2020

6.8K
mRNA Interactome Capture from Plant Protoplasts12:29

mRNA Interactome Capture from Plant Protoplasts

Published on: July 28, 2017

9.2K

Related Concept Videos

RNA Editing02:23

RNA Editing

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...
9.1K
RNA Stability01:53

RNA Stability

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...
33.8K
Cell Signaling in Plants01:25

Cell Signaling in Plants

Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
5.7K