Advances in research on RNA N-6-methyladenosine(m6A) modification related enzymes in mammalian spermatogenesis

doi:10.16352/j.issn.1001-6325.2023.04.0524

Abstract

Abstract: N-6-methyladenosine(m6A) has been well-known to be a type of RNA epigenetic modification over the past decade. The m6A modification enzymes include “Writers” (METTL3/14/WTAP, etc.),“Erasers” (FTO and ALKBH5) and “Readers” (YTHDC1/2,YTHDF1/2/3, etc.), which mediate RNA methylation, demethylation, and recognition binding via a synergistic regulatory system, thereby regulating the fate of RNA after transcription. Spermatogenesis is an essential process of sexual maturation and maintenance of fertility in male mammals, involving the proliferation, and differentiation of Sertoli cells, Leydig cells and spermatogonia, and maintenance of spermatogenic microenvironment. More recently, there are some researches showed that the m6A regulatory system was involved in mammalian spermatogenesis. Abnormal m6A modification and imbalances in the m6A regulatory system can lead to abnormal testicular development, abnormal spermatogenesis and male infertility. This review summarizes the function of m6A modification enzymes in spermatogenesis, and further analyzes the role of m6A differentially modified transcripts in normal spermatogenesis, which has a great significance for understanding mammalian spermatogenesis and decoding the molecular mechanism of clinical spermatogenesis disorders.

Key words: m6A modification, spermatogenesis, Sertoli cell, Leydig cell, spermatogenic cell

CLC Number:

ZHANG Qiang, SU Wenhui. Advances in research on RNA N-6-methyladenosine(m6A) modification related enzymes in mammalian spermatogenesis[J]. Basic & Clinical Medicine, 2023, 43(4): 524-531.

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