N6-methyladenosine-modified RNA acts as a molecular glue that drives liquid-liquid phase separation in plants

Hong Gil Lee; Jiwoo Kim; Pil Joon Seo

doi:10.1080/15592324.2022.2079308

N⁶-methyladenosine-modified RNA acts as a molecular glue that drives liquid-liquid phase separation in plants

Plant Signal Behav. 2022 Dec 31;17(1):2079308. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2079308.

Authors

Hong Gil Lee^{1

2}, Jiwoo Kim¹, Pil Joon Seo^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
² Plant Genomics and Breeding Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
³ Research Institute of Basic Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Liquid-like condensates are organized by multivalent intrinsically disordered proteins and RNA molecules. We here demonstrate that N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A)-modified RNA is widespread in establishing diverse plant cell condensates. Several m⁶A-reader proteins contain putative prion-like domains, and the ect2/3/4 mutant exhibited reduced formation of key nuclear and cytoplasmic condensates in Arabidopsis.

Keywords: ECT; Liquid-liquid phase separation; m6A modification; m6A reader.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adenosine / analogs & derivatives
Arabidopsis Proteins* / genetics
Arabidopsis* / genetics
Cell Nucleus
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins*
RNA

Substances

Arabidopsis Proteins
ECT2 protein, Arabidopsis
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
RNA
N-methyladenosine
Adenosine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research (NRF-2022R1A2B5B02001266) and Basic Research Laboratory (NRF-2020R1A4A2002901) programs funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, and by Creative-Pioneering Researchers Program through Seoul National University (0409-20210288).