m 6 A modification-tuned sphingolipid metabolism regulates postnatal liver development in male mice

Different organs undergo distinct transcriptional, epigenetic and physiological alterations that guarantee their functional maturation after birth. However, the roles of epitranscriptomic machineries in these processes have remained elusive. Here we demonstrate that expression of RNA methyltransfera...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNature metabolism Vol. 5; no. 5; p. 842
Main Authors Wang, Shiguan, Chen, Shanze, Sun, Jianfeng, Han, Pan, Xu, Bowen, Li, Xinying, Zhong, Youquan, Xu, Zaichao, Zhang, Peng, Mi, Ping, Zhang, Cuijuan, Li, Lixiang, Zhang, Haiyan, Xia, Yuchen, Li, Shiyang, Heikenwalder, Mathias, Yuan, Detian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Germany 01.05.2023
Subjects
Adenosine - metabolism
Animals
Ceramides
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
Hepatocytes - metabolism
Liver - metabolism
Male
Methyltransferases - genetics
Methyltransferases - metabolism
Mice
Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase - genetics
Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase - metabolism
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Different organs undergo distinct transcriptional, epigenetic and physiological alterations that guarantee their functional maturation after birth. However, the roles of epitranscriptomic machineries in these processes have remained elusive. Here we demonstrate that expression of RNA methyltransferase enzymes Mettl3 and Mettl14 gradually declines during postnatal liver development in male mice. Liver-specific Mettl3 deficiency causes hepatocyte hypertrophy, liver injury and growth retardation. Transcriptomic and N6-methyl-adenosine (m A) profiling identify the neutral sphingomyelinase, Smpd3, as a target of Mettl3. Decreased decay of Smpd3 transcripts due to Mettl3 deficiency results in sphingolipid metabolism rewiring, characterized by toxic ceramide accumulation and leading to mitochondrial damage and elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress. Pharmacological Smpd3 inhibition, Smpd3 knockdown or Sgms1 overexpression that counteracts Smpd3 can ameliorate the abnormality of Mettl3-deficent liver. Our findings demonstrate that Mettl3-N -methyl-adenosine fine-tunes sphingolipid metabolism, highlighting the pivotal role of an epitranscriptomic machinery in coordination of organ growth and the timing of functional maturation during postnatal liver development.
ISSN:2522-5812