The Pillai lab wrote a review in which they summarise the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and involved proteins, writers, erasers and readers, in the mammalian germline affecting gametogenesis and fertility, and the potential to treat reproductive disorders. The review "Roles of N6-methyladenosine writers, readers and erasers in the mammalian germline" was published in Current Opinion in Genetics & Development.
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal modification of mRNAs in eukaryotes. Numerous studies have shown that m6A plays key roles in many biological and pathophysiological processes, including fertility. The factors involved in m6A-dependent mRNA regulation include writers, which deposit the m6A mark, erasers, which remove it, and readers, which bind to m6A-modified transcripts and mediate the regulation of mRNA fate. Many of these proteins are highly expressed in the germ cells of mammals, and some have been linked to fertility disorders in human patients. In this review, we summarise recent findings on the important roles played by proteins involved in m6A biology in mammalian gametogenesis and fertility. Continued study of the m6A pathway in the mammalian germline will shed further light on the importance of epitranscriptomics in reproduction and may lead to effective treatment of human fertility disorders.
Read the Publication in Current Opinion in Genetics & Development (Open Access)
Abstract, figure and title from Wells and Pillai (2024) Curr Opin Genet Dev published under a CC BY 4.0 license.