Single-nucleotide m⁶A mapping uncovers redundant YTHDF function in planarian progenitor fate selection.

ABSTRACT: Cell fate decisions require tight regulation of gene expression. In planarians, highly regenerative flatworms, the mRNA modification N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modulates progenitor production and fate. However, the mechanisms governing m⁶A deposition in the planarian transcriptome, and the role of their expanded family of YTHDF m⁶A reader proteins in orchestrating biological functions, remain unclear. Here, we generated the first single-nucleotide resolution map of m⁶A in planarians, and revealed that simple sequence rules guide m⁶A deposition, facilitating the flexible evolutionary gain and loss of these marks. Functional analyses of the five YTHDF planarian m⁶A readers revealed that while individual reader expression is dispensable, together, the planarian YTHDF proteins regulate the produ

SUBMITTER: Yesharim Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12864844 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature