Characterization of Long Non-coding RNAs Modified by m6A RNA Methylation in Skeletal Myogenesis

• Published in: Frontiers in cell and developmental biology Vol. 9; p. 762669
• Main Authors: Xie, Shu-Juan, Tao, Shuang, Diao, Li-Ting, Li, Pan-Long, Chen, Wei-Cai, Zhou, Zhi-Gang, Hu, Yan-Xia, Hou, Ya-Rui, Lei, Hang, Xu, Wan-Yi, Chen, Wen-Jie, Peng, Yan-Wen, Zhang, Qi, Xiao, Zhen-Dong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 13.10.2021
• Subjects: Brip1os; Cell and Developmental Biology; lncRNAs; m6A; METTL3; skeletal muscle development
• ISSN: 2296-634X; 2296-634X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.762669

Proper development of mammalian skeletal muscle relies on precise gene expression regulation. Our previous studies revealed that muscle development is regulated by both mRNA and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) plays important roles in various biological processes, making it essential to profile m 6 A modification on a transcriptome-wide scale in developing muscle. Patterns of m 6 A methylation in lncRNAs in developing muscle have not been uncovered. Here, we reveal differentially expressed lncRNAs and report temporal m 6 A methylation patterns in lncRNAs expressed in mouse myoblasts and myotubes by RNA-seq and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) sequencing. Many lncRNAs exhibit temporal differential expression, and m 6 A-lncRNAs harbor the consensus m 6 A motif “DRACH” along lncRNA transcripts. Interestingly, we found that m 6 A methylation levels of lncRNAs are positively correlated with the transcript abundance of lncRNAs. Overexpression or knockdown of m 6 A methyltransferase METTL3 alters the expression levels of these lncRNAs. Furthermore, we highlight that the function of m 6 A genic lncRNAs might correlate to their nearby mRNAs. Our work reveals a fundamental expression reference of m 6 A-mediated epitranscriptomic modifications in lncRNAs that are temporally expressed in developing muscle.