title: Unique features of the m6A methylome in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Recent discoveries of reversible N(6)-methyladenosine (m(6)A) methylation on messenger RNA (mRNA) and mapping of m(6)A methylomes in mammals and yeast have revealed potential regulatory functions of this RNA modification. In plants, defects in m(6)A methyltransferase cause an embryo-lethal phenotype, suggesting a critical role of m(6)A in plant development. Here, we profile m(6)A transcriptome-wide in two accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana and reveal that m(6)A is a highly conserved modification of mRNA in plants. Distinct from mammals, m(6)A in A. thaliana is enriched not only around the stop codon and within 3'-untranslated regions, but also around the start codon. Gene ontology analysis indicates that the unique distribution pattern of m(6)A in A. thaliana is associated with plant-specific pathways involving the chloroplast. We also discover a positive correlation between m(6)A deposition and mRNA abundance, suggesting a regulatory role of m(6)A in plant gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Guan-Zheng
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacQueen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Guanqun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Hongchao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Louis C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Dore
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Zhike
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Guifang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, 929 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000241:Adenosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D017360:Arabidopsis; D018387:Codon, Initiator / Q000378:metabolism; D018388:Codon, Terminator / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D018387:Codon, Initiator; D018388:Codon, Terminator; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C010223:N-methyladenosine; C065638:6-methyladenine mRNA methyltransferase; D008780:Methyltransferases; D000241:Adenosine