mA-binding proteins: the emerging crucial performers in epigenetics.

N-methyladenosine (mA) is a well-known post-transcriptional modification that is the most common type of methylation in eukaryotic mRNAs. The regulation of mA is dynamic and reversible, which is erected by mA methyltransferases ("writers") and removed by mA demethylases ("erasers"). Notably, the effects on targeted mRNAs resulted by mA predominantly depend on the functions of different mA-binding proteins ("readers") including YT521-B homology (YTH) domain family, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (HNRNPs), and insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding proteins (IGF2BPs). Indeed, mA readers not only participate in multiple procedures of RNA metabolism, but also are involved in a variety of biological processes. In this review, we summarized the specific functions and underlying mechanisms of mA-binding proteins in tumorigenesis, hematopoiesis, virus replication, immune response, and adipogenesis.