PUBLICATION

m6A modulates haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell specification.

Authors
Zhang, C., Chen, Y., Sun, B., Wang, L., Yang, Y., Ma, D., Lv, J., Heng, J., Ding, Y., Xue, Y., Lu, X., Xiao, W., Yang, Y.G., Liu, F.
ID
ZDB-PUB-170905-1
Date
2017
Source
Nature   549(7671): 273-276 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Liu, Feng, Lu, Xinyan, Ma, Dongyuan, Wang, Lu, Zhang, Chunxia
Keywords
Haematopoietic stem cells, Epigenetics
Datasets
GEO:GSE89655
MeSH Terms
  • Adenosine/analogs & derivatives*
  • Adenosine/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation*/genetics
  • Codon, Terminator/genetics
  • Consensus Sequence
  • Endothelial Cells/cytology*
  • Endothelial Cells/metabolism
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells/cytology*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Methylation
  • Methyltransferases/deficiency
  • Methyltransferases/genetics
  • Methyltransferases/metabolism
  • Mice
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics
  • RNA Stability
  • RNA, Messenger/chemistry
  • RNA, Messenger/genetics
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism*
  • Receptor, Notch1/genetics
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
PubMed
28869969 Full text @ Nature
CTD
28869969
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) has been identified as the most abundant modification on eukaryote messenger RNA (mRNA). Although the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies has enabled insight into the biological functions of m6A modification, the function of m6A during vertebrate embryogenesis remains poorly understood. Here we show that m6A determines cell fate during the endothelial-to-haematopoietic transition (EHT) to specify the earliest haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) during zebrafish embryogenesis. m6A-specific methylated RNA immunoprecipitation combined with high-throughput sequencing (MeRIP-seq) and m6A individual-nucleotide-resolution cross-linking and immunoprecipitation with sequencing (miCLIP-seq) analyses reveal conserved features on zebrafish m6A methylome and preferential distribution of m6A peaks near the stop codon with a consensus RRACH motif. In mettl3-deficient embryos, levels of m6A are significantly decreased and emergence of HSPCs is blocked. Mechanistically, we identify that the delayed YTHDF2-mediated mRNA decay of the arterial endothelial genes notch1a and rhoca contributes to this deleterious effect. The continuous activation of Notch signalling in arterial endothelial cells of mettl3-deficient embryos blocks EHT, thereby repressing the generation of the earliest HSPCs. Furthermore, knockdown of Mettl3 in mice confers a similar phenotype. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the critical function of m6A modification in the fate determination of HSPCs during vertebrate embryogenesis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping