MTA, an RNA mA Methyltransferase, Enhances Drought Tolerance by Regulating the Development of Trichomes and Roots in Poplar.

N6-methyladenosine (mA) is the most prevalent internal modification present in the mRNAs of all higher eukaryotes, where it is present within both coding and noncoding regions. In mammals, methylation requires the catalysis of a multicomponent mA methyltransferase complex. Proposed biological functions for mA modification include pre-mRNA splicing, RNA stability, cell fate regulation, and embryonic development. However, few studies have been conducted on mA modification in trees. In particular, the regulation mechanism of RNA mA in development remains to be further elucidated. Here, we show that PtrMTA ( methyltransferase) was colocalized with PtrFIP37 in the nucleus. Importantly, the -overexpressing plants significantly increased the density of trichomes and exhibited a more developed root system than that of wild-type controls. Moreover, we found that -overexpressing plants had better tolerance to drought stress. We also found was a component of the mA methyltransferase complex, which participated in the formation of mA methylation in poplar. Taken together, these results demonstrate that is involved in drought resistance by affecting the development of trichomes and roots, which will provide new clues for the study of RNA mA modification and expand our understanding of the epigenetic molecular mechanism in woody plants.