Project description:Spermatogenesis is precisely controlled at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and translational levels. Here we report that N6-methyladenosine (m6A), an epitranscriptomic mark regulating gene expression, plays essential roles during spermatogenesis. We present comprehensive m6A mRNA methylomes of mouse spermatogenic cells from five developmental stages: undifferentiated spermatogonia, type A1 spermatogonia, preleptotene spermatocytes, pachytene/diplotene spermatocytes, and round spermatids. Germ cell-specific inactiva- tion of the m6A RNA methyltransferase Mettl3 or Mettl14 with Vasa-Cre causes loss of m6A and depletion of SSCs. m6A depletion dysregulates translation of transcripts that are required for SSC proliferation/differentiation. Com- bined deletion of Mettl3 and Mettl14 in advanced germ cells with Stra8-GFPCre disrupts spermiogenesis, whereas mice with single deletion of either Mettl3 or Mettl14 in advanced germ cells show normal spermatogenesis. The sper- matids from double-mutant mice exhibit impaired translation of haploid-specific genes that are essential for spermio- genesis. This study highlights crucial roles of mRNA m6A modification in germline development, potentially ensuring coordinated translation at different stages of spermatogenesis.
Project description:We show that N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant internal modification in mRNA/lncRNA with still poorly characterized function, alters RNA structure to facilitate the access of RBM for heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (hnRNP C). We term this mechanism m6A-switch. Through combining PAR-CLIP with Me-RIP, we identify 39,060 m6A-switches among hnRNP C binding sites transcriptome-wide. We show that m6A-methyltransferases METTL3 or METTL14 knockdown decreases hnRNP C binding at 16,582 m6A-switches. Taken together, 2,798 m6A-switches of high confidence are identified to mediate RNA-hnRNP C interactions and affect diverse biological processes including cell cycle regulation. These findings reveal the biological importance of m6A and provide insights into the sophisticated regulation of RNA-RBP interactions through m6A-induced RNA structural remodeling. Measure the m6A methylated hnRNP C binding sites transcriptome-wide by PARCLIP-MeRIP; measure the differential hnRNP C occupancies upon METTL3/METTL14 knockdown by PAR-CLIP; measure RNA abundance and splicing level changes upon HNRNPC, METTL3 and METTL14 knockdown
Project description:Both mRNA and proteins can be modified through addition of methyl groups. For example, addition of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) to mRNAs is critical for human development and health. Post-translational methylation of proteins can impact the dynamic regulation of enzymatic activity. Here we sought to explore the nexus of transcriptional and post-translational methylation by studying the role of methylation of the core methyltransferase METTL3/METTL14 in m6A regulation. We found by mass spectrometry that METTL14 arginine 255 (R255) is methylated (R255me). Global mRNA m6A levels were greatly decreased in METTL14 R255K mutant mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). We further found that R255me greatly enhances the interaction of METTL3/METTL14 with WTAP and promotes the binding of the complex to substrate RNA.
Project description:N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal modification in the messenger RNA (mRNA) of all higher eukaryotes. This modification has been shown to be reversible in mammals; it is installed by a methyltransferase heterodimer complex of METTL3 and METTL14 bound with WTAP, and reversed by iron(II)- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent demethylases FTO and ALKBH5. This modification exhibits significant functional roles in various biological processes. The m6A modification as a RNA mark is recognized by reader proteins, such as YTH domain family proteins and HNRNPA2B1; m6A can also act as a structure switch to affect RNA-protein interactions for biological regulation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the methyltransferase subunit MTA (the plant orthologue of human METTL3, encoded by At4g10760) was well characterized and FIP37 (the plant orthologue of human WTAP) was first identified as the interacting partner of MTA. Here we report the discovery and characterization of reversible m6A methylation mediated by AtALKBH10B (encoded by At4g02940) in A. thaliana, and noticeable roles of this RNA demethylase in affecting plant development and floral transition. Our findings reveal potential broad functions of reversible mRNA methylation in plants. m6A peaks were identified from wild type Columbia-0 and atalkbh10b-1 mutant in two biological replicates
Project description:SETD2 is the specific methyltransferase of H3K36me3, while METTL3, METTL14 and WTAP are the components of m6A methyltransferase complex. To understand the global effect of H3K36me3 on m6A modification, we compared the m6A profiling in SETD2 and METTL3, METTL14 or WTAP knockdown HepG2 cells, and found depletion of H3K36me3 by SETD2 silencing globally reduced m6A in human transcriptome. What’s more, most of the SETD2-dependent hypomethylation sites also responded to knockdown of METTL3, METTL14, or WTAP.
Project description:All the three enzymes, METTL3, METTL14, and METTL16, belong to methyltransferase like (METTL) family and possess the ability to deposit N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in mRNA. Via immunofluorescence staining and wertern blotting, we discovered either METTL3 or METTL14 mainly localize in nuclear, but METTL16 localizes in both cytosol and nuclei. To compare the m6A methyltransferase activities of the three m6A 'writers' and better understand their differences, MeRIP-seq (m6A-seq) was conducted with poly(A) RNAs isolaed from HEK293T cells with METTL3, 14 and 16 knockout.
Project description:Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and 14 (METTL14) are core subunits of the methyltransferase complex (MTC) that catalyzes mRNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification. Despite the expanding list of m6A-dependent function of the MTC, m6A independent function of the METTL3 and METTL14 complex remains poorly understood. Here we show that genome-wide redistribution of METTL3 and METTL14 drives senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in a m6A-independent manner. METTL3 and METTL14 are necessary for SASP. However, SASP is not regulated by m6A mRNA modification. METTL14 is redistributed to the enhancers, while METTL3 is localized to the pre-existing NF-B sites within the promoters of the SASP genes during senescence. METTL3 interacts with NF-B and they are mutually dependent on their associations with the promoters of SASP genes. METTL14 but not METTL3 is necessary for function of SASP gene enhancers. METTL3 and METTL14 are required for both the tumor-promoting and immune surveillance functions of senescent cells mediated by SASP in vivo in mouse models. In summary, our results report a m6A independent function of the METTL3 and METTL14 complex in promoting SASP through regulating transcription by genome-wide redistribution of METTL14 to enhancers and METTL3 to promoters of SASP genes during senescence.
Project description:Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and 14 (METTL14) are core subunits of the methyltransferase complex (MTC) that catalyzes mRNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification. Despite the expanding list of m6A-dependent function of the MTC, m6A independent function of the METTL3 and METTL14 complex remains poorly understood. Here we show that genome-wide redistribution of METTL3 and METTL14 drives senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in a m6A-independent manner. METTL3 and METTL14 are necessary for SASP. However, SASP is not regulated by m6A mRNA modification. METTL14 is redistributed to the enhancers, while METTL3 is localized to the pre-existing NF-B sites within the promoters of the SASP genes during senescence. METTL3 interacts with NF-B and they are mutually dependent on their associations with the promoters of SASP genes. METTL14 but not METTL3 is necessary for function of SASP gene enhancers. METTL3 and METTL14 are required for both the tumor-promoting and immune surveillance functions of senescent cells mediated by SASP in vivo in mouse models. In summary, our results report a m6A independent function of the METTL3 and METTL14 complex in promoting SASP through regulating transcription by genome-wide redistribution of METTL14 to enhancers and METTL3 to promoters of SASP genes during senescence.
Project description:Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and 14 (METTL14) are core subunits of the methyltransferase complex (MTC) that catalyzes mRNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification. Despite the expanding list of m6A-dependent function of the MTC, m6A independent function of the METTL3 and METTL14 complex remains poorly understood. Here we show that genome-wide redistribution of METTL3 and METTL14 drives senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in a m6A-independent manner. METTL3 and METTL14 are necessary for SASP. However, SASP is not regulated by m6A mRNA modification. METTL14 is redistributed to the enhancers, while METTL3 is localized to the pre-existing NF-B sites within the promoters of the SASP genes during senescence. METTL3 interacts with NF-B and they are mutually dependent on their associations with the promoters of SASP genes. METTL14 but not METTL3 is necessary for function of SASP gene enhancers. METTL3 and METTL14 are required for both the tumor-promoting and immune surveillance functions of senescent cells mediated by SASP in vivo in mouse models. In summary, our results report a m6A independent function of the METTL3 and METTL14 complex in promoting SASP through regulating transcription by genome-wide redistribution of METTL14 to enhancers and METTL3 to promoters of SASP genes during senescence.