Ma Yuke, Yin Huijuan, Guo Wenhui, Li Bao, Chen Yu, Zhang Jingjing, Ji Kongshu, Yu Qiong
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Jul 31;25(1):996. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-07060-1.
N-methyladenosine (mA), the most abundant mRNA modification, serves as a reversible epigenetic marker plays an increasingly pivotal role in gene regulation across diverse biological processes including embryo development, cell differentiation, flowering and stress responses in plants. The dynamic regulation of mA modification relies on a system comprised of writers, erasers, and readers, thereby highlighting the importance of these proteins in plant lifetime. However, these proteins responsible for the mA modification remain unknown in Suaeda salsa (S. salsa), a halophyte with exceptional ecological and economic value.
In this study, we systematically identified 22 putative mA-related genes in S. salsa, including 6 writers, 7 readers, and 9 erasers, which were categorized into the MT-A70 (writers), YTH (readers), and ALKBH (erasers) families. Phylogenetic and structural analyses revealed distinct evolutionary trajectories among these protein families. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network demonstrates their association with various proteins of significant functional importance. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed elevated expression levels of SsYTHDF1 and SsYTHDF4 across all tissues, suggesting their central role in m⁶A-mediated regulation. Analysis of upstream cis-regulatory elements hinted at a potential link between these genes and stress, hormones and developmental processes. Subsequent stress response experiments confirmed that their expression levels were altered in response to low temperature, ABA and salinity treatments.
The identification of m⁶A modification components in S. salsa, coupled with their molecular evolution and expression profiling, not only establishes a foundational framework for future functional characterization of m⁶A-associated proteins, but also deciphers the mechanistic role of m⁶A-mediated epigenetic regulation in S. salsa.
N-甲基腺苷（mA）是最丰富的mRNA修饰，作为一种可逆的表观遗传标记，在包括胚胎发育、细胞分化、植物开花和应激反应等多种生物过程的基因调控中发挥着越来越关键的作用。mA修饰的动态调控依赖于由写入蛋白、擦除蛋白和读取蛋白组成的系统，从而凸显了这些蛋白质在植物生命历程中的重要性。然而，在具有特殊生态和经济价值的盐生植物盐地碱蓬中，负责mA修饰的这些蛋白质仍然未知。
在本研究中，我们系统地鉴定了盐地碱蓬中22个假定的mA相关基因，包括6个写入蛋白、7个读取蛋白和9个擦除蛋白，它们被归类为MT-A70（写入蛋白）、YTH（读取蛋白）和ALKBH（擦除蛋白）家族。系统发育和结构分析揭示了这些蛋白质家族之间不同的进化轨迹。蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（PPI）网络显示它们与各种具有重要功能的蛋白质存在关联。定量实时PCR（qRT-PCR）分析显示，SsYTHDF1和SsYTHDF4在所有组织中的表达水平均升高，表明它们在m⁶A介导的调控中起核心作用。对上游顺式调控元件的分析暗示了这些基因与应激、激素和发育过程之间的潜在联系。随后的应激反应实验证实，它们的表达水平在低温、ABA和盐处理下发生了改变。
盐地碱蓬中m⁶A修饰成分的鉴定及其分子进化和表达谱分析，不仅为未来m⁶A相关蛋白的功能表征建立了基础框架，还破译了m⁶A介导的表观遗传调控在盐地碱蓬中的作用机制。
