Messenger RNA (mRNA) can be modified by more than 100 chemical modifications. Among these modifications, N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is one of the most prevalent modifications. During the processes of cells differentiation, embryo development or stress, m⁶A can be modified on key mRNAs and regulate the progress of cells through modulating mRNA metabolism and translation. Other mRNA modifications, including N1-methyladenosine (m¹A), 5-methylcytosine (m⁵C) and pseudouridine, together with m⁶A form the epitranscriptome of mRNA that accurately modulate the mRNA translation. Here we review the types and characteristic of mRNA epigenetic modifications, especially the recent progresses of the function of m⁶A, we also expect the main research direction of m⁶A epigenetic modification in the future.
mRNA 上能发生100 多种化学修饰，其中N⁶-腺嘌呤 (m⁶A) 是mRNA 修饰中最广泛的表观修饰方式之一。在细胞分化、胚胎发育和应激等生物学过程中，特定的mRNA 会发生包括N¹-腺嘌呤甲基化、N⁵-胞嘧啶甲基化、假尿嘧啶以及N⁶-腺嘌呤甲基化等修饰，它们共同形成了mRNA 转录后调控的表观修饰转录组，实现对mRNA 翻译成蛋白质过程的精确时空调控，特别是m⁶A 修饰能通过调控mRNA 的代谢和翻译等进而调控细胞的一系列生物学过程。文中主要综述mRNA 的表观修饰类型和特点，特别是m⁶A 修饰参与调控mRNA 和细胞生物学功能的最新研究进展，并展望了将来m6A 表观修饰的研究重点和方向。.
Keywords: N1-methyladenosine (m1A); N6-methyladenosine (m6A); cell differentiation; epigenetic modification of mRNA; mRNA metabolism; pseudouridine.