Abstract

Eukaryotic RNA can carry more than 100 different types of chemical modifications. Early studies have been focused on modifications of highly abundant RNA, such as ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA, but recent technical advances have made it possible to also study messenger RNA (mRNA). Subsequently, mRNA modifications, namely methylation, have emerged as key players in eukaryotic gene expression regulation. The most abundant and widely studied internal mRNA modification is N6‐methyladenosine (m6A), but the list of mRNA chemical modifications continues to grow as fast as interest in this field. Over the past decade, transcriptome‐wide studies combined with advanced biochemistry and the discovery of methylation writers, readers, and erasers revealed roles for mRNA methylation in the regulation of nearly every aspect of the mRNA life cycle and in diverse cellular, developmental, and disease processes. Although large parts of mRNA function are linked to its cytoplasmic stability and regulation of its translation, a number of studies have begun to provide evidence for methylation‐regulated nuclear processes. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in RNA methylation research and highlight how these new findings have contributed to our understanding of methylation‐dependent RNA processing in the nucleus.This article is categorized under: RNA Processing > RNA Editing and ModificationRNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative SplicingRNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications

Highlights

  • Posttranscriptional processing of messenger RNA is a common feature of eukaryotes

  • This review will discuss the latest development in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) modifications from the perspective of nuclear mRNA processing

  • In the early days of RNA research, it was already recognized that this molecule bears variable chemical modifications

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Summary

Introduction

Posttranscriptional processing of messenger RNA (mRNA) is a common feature of eukaryotes. The 50 capping and 30 polyadenylation modifications were discovered almost 50 years ago and have remained as one of the hallmarks of eukaryotic mRNA processing M. Wei, Gershowitz, & Moss, 1975b). The recent discovery of additional internal, functional mRNA modifications has introduced a previously unappreciated level of mRNA metabolism regulation. This review will discuss the latest development in the field of mRNA modifications from the perspective of nuclear mRNA processing

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