Steering pluripotency and differentiation with N 6 -methyladenosine RNA modification

Chemical modifications of RNA provide a direct and rapid way to modulate the existing transcriptome, allowing the cells to adapt rapidly to the changing environment. Among these modifications, N -methyladenosine (m A) has recently emerged as a widely prevalent mark of messenger RNA in eukaryotes, linking external stimuli to an intricate network of transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational processes. m A modification modulates a broad spectrum of biochemical processes, including mRNA decay, translation and splicing. Both m A modification and the enzymes that control m A metabolism are essential for normal development. In this review, we summarized the most recent findings on the role of m A modification in maintenance of the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), cell fate specification, the reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and differentiation of stem and progenitor cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: mRNA modifications in gene expression control edited by Dr. Soller Matthias and Dr. Fray Rupert.