Principles of RNA methylation and their implications for biology and medicine

Yujia Zhou; Ying Kong; Wenguo Fan; Tao Tao; Qin Xiao; Na Li; Xiao Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110731

Principles of RNA methylation and their implications for biology and medicine

Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Nov:131:110731. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110731. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

Authors

Yujia Zhou¹, Ying Kong², Wenguo Fan³, Tao Tao⁴, Qin Xiao⁵, Na Li⁶, Xiao Zhu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, The Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China; The Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Guangdong Zhanjiang, Zhanjiang, China.
² Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hubei No.3 People's Hospital of Jianghan University, Wuhan, China.
³ Department of Anesthesiology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, China. Electronic address: tao_tao79@163.com.
⁵ Department of Blood Transfusion, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
⁶ College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. Electronic address: lina@cqmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, The Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China; The Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Guangdong Zhanjiang, Zhanjiang, China; The Key Lab of Zhanjiang for R&D Marine Microbial Resources in the Beibu Gulf Rim, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang), Zhanjiang, China. Electronic address: xzhu@gdmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 32920520
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110731

Abstract

RNA methylation is a post-transcriptional level of regulation. At present, more than 150 kinds of RNA modifications have been identified. They are widely distributed in messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), noncoding small RNA (sncRNA) and long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA). In recent years, with the discovery of RNA methylation related proteins and the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, the mystery of RNA methylation has been gradually revealed, and its biological function and application value have gradually emerged. In this review, a large number of research results of RNA methylation in recent years are collected. Through systematic summary and refinement, this review introduced RNA methylation modification-related proteins and RNA methylation sequencing technologies, as well as the biological functions of RNA methylation, expressions and applications of RNA methylation-related genes in physiological or pathological states such as cancer, immunity and virus infection, and discussed the potential therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Biological function; Cancer; RNA methylation; Regulators; m6A.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adenine / analogs & derivatives
Adenine / metabolism
AlkB Homolog 5, RNA Demethylase / physiology
Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO / physiology
Animals
Humans
Methylation
Neoplasms / genetics
Neoplasms / therapy
RNA / metabolism*
RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional*
Spermatogenesis
T-Lymphocytes / immunology
Virus Diseases / genetics
Virus Diseases / therapy

Substances

RNA
ALKBH5 protein, human
AlkB Homolog 5, RNA Demethylase
Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO
FTO protein, human
Adenine
6-methyladenine