Table 1 The specific function of each m6A-related enzyme
From: m6A-binding proteins: the emerging crucial performers in epigenetics
Categories | m6A-related enzymes | Location | Mechanism | References |
m6A writers | METTL3 | Nucleus | Catalyzing methyl-group transfer | |
METTL14 | Nucleus | Forming a heterodimer with METTL3 and strengthening its catalytic activity | ||
WTAP | Nucleus | Promoting METTL3-METTL14 complex localization to nuclear speckles and modulating their recruitment to RNA targets | [10] | |
VIRMA | Nucleus | Preferentially mediating m6A modification in the 3’UTR and near stop codon, and affecting the selection of methylation sites | [11] | |
RBM15/RBM15B | Nucleus | Mediating m6A methylation of lncRNA XIST | [12] | |
ZC3H13 | Nucleus | Inducing the nuclear localization of Zc3h13-WTAP- Virilizer-Hakai complex | [13] | |
METTL16 | Nucleus | Functioning as a conserved U6 snRNA methyltransferase and regulating the abundance of intracellular SAM | ||
m6A erasers | FTO | Nucleus | Abrogating the m6A levels of targeted RNA via the oxidative demethylation activity | [16] |
ALKBH5 | Nucleus | Removing the m6A modification of nuclear RNA | [17] | |
m6A readers | YTHDF1 | Cytoplasm | Augmenting RNA translation through interacting with the translation initiation factor eIF3 | [18] |
YTHDF2 | Cytoplasm | Promoting RNA degradation by recruiting the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex | ||
YTHDF3 | Cytoplasm | Not only promoting the translation of methylated RNA in cooperation with YTHDF1, but also strengthening RNA decay mediated by YTHDF2 | ||
YTHDC1 | Nucleus | Mediating alternative splicing, facilitating m6A-methylated RNA nuclear export, and promoting X chromosome genes transcriptional silencing mediated by XIST | ||
YTHDC2 | Cytoplasm | Increasing the translation efficiency of RNA | ||
HNRNPA2B1 | Nucleus | Accelerating the processing of primary miRNA, regulating alternative splicing, and acting as a “m6A-switch” | ||
HNRNPC | Nucleus | Participating in the pre-mRNA processing and functioning as a “m6A-switch” | ||
HNRNPG | Nucleus | Modulating pre-mRNA alternative splicing and acting as a “m6A-switch” | [31] | |
IGF2BP1 | Cytoplasm | Fortifying RNA stability | [32] | |
IGF2BP2 | Cytoplasm | Increasing the stability of RNA | [32] | |
IGF2BP3 | Cytoplasm | Facilitating RNA stabilization | [32] |