m6A RNA demethylase AtALKBH9B promotes mobilization of a heat-activated long terminal repeat retrotransposon in Arabidopsis

Fan, Wenwen; Wang, Ling; Lei, Zhen; Li, Hui; Chu, Jie; Yan, Mengxiao; Wang, Yuqin; Wang, Hongxia; Yang, Jun; Cho, Jungnam

Abstract

Transposons are mobile and ubiquitous DNA molecules that can cause vast genomic alterations. In plants, it is well documented that transposon mobilization is strongly repressed by DNA methylation; however, its regulation at the posttranscriptional level remains relatively uninvestigated. Here, we suggest that transposon RNA is marked by m6A RNA methylation and can be localized in stress granules (SGs). Intriguingly, SG-localized AtALKBH9B selectively demethylates a heat-activated retroelement, Onsen, and thereby releases it from spatial confinement, allowing for its mobilization. In addition, we show evidence that m6A RNA methylation contributes to transpositional suppression by inhibiting virus-like particle assembly and extrachromosomal DNA production. In summary, this study unveils a previously unknown role for m6A in the suppression of transposon mobility and provides insight into how transposons counteract the m6A-mediated repression mechanism by hitchhiking the RNA demethylase of the host.

Citation

Fan, W., Wang, L., Lei, Z., Li, H., Chu, J., Yan, M., …Cho, J. (2023). m6A RNA demethylase AtALKBH9B promotes mobilization of a heat-activated long terminal repeat retrotransposon in Arabidopsis. Science Advances, 9(48), Article eadf3292. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adf3292

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 17, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 29, 2023
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 5, 2023
• Journal: Science Advances
• Electronic ISSN: 2375-2548
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 48
• Article Number: eadf3292
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adf3292
• Keywords: Arabidopsis, Retroelements, RNA, DNA Methylation, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Terminal Repeat Sequences, Hot Temperature
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1945250
• PMID: 38019921