Modifying the antiviral innate immune response by selective writing, erasing, and reading of m⁶A on viral and...

Viral infection and the antiviral innate immune response are regulated by the RNA modification m⁶A. m⁶A directs nearly all aspects of RNA metabolism by recruiting RNA-binding proteins that mediate the fate of m⁶A-containing RNA. m⁶A controls the antiviral innate immune response in diverse ways, including shielding viral RNA from detection by antiviral sensors and influencing the expression of cellular mRNAs encoding antiviral signaling proteins, cytokines, and effector proteins. While m⁶A and the m⁶A machinery are important for the antiviral response, the precise mechanisms that determine how the m⁶A machinery selects specific viral or cellular RNA molecules for modification during infection are not fully understood. In this review, we highlight recent findings that shed light on how viral infection redirects the m⁶A machinery during the antiviral response. A better understanding of m⁶A targeting during viral infection could lead to new immunomodulatory and therapeutic strategies against viral infection.