Loss of the m6A methyltransferase METTL3 in monocyte-derived macrophages ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease pathology in mice

作者：Huilong Yin, Zhuan Ju, Minhua Zheng, Xiang Zhang, Wenjie Zuo, Yidi Wang, Xiaochen Ding, Xiaofang Zhang, Yingran Peng, Jiadi Li, Angang Yang, Rui Zhang · 发表于：PLoS Biology · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1371/journal.pbio.3002017 · 被引用次数：63 · 研究领域：RNA modifications and cancer、Epigenetics and DNA Methylation、Cancer-related gene regulation

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a heterogeneous disease with complex clinicopathological characteristics. To date, the role of m6A RNA methylation in monocyte-derived macrophages involved in the progression of AD is unknown. In our study, we found that methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) deficiency in monocyte-derived macrophages improved cognitive function in an amyloid beta (Aβ)-induced AD mouse model. The mechanistic study showed that that METTL3 ablation attenuated the m6A modification in DNA methyltransferase 3A (Dnmt3a) mRNAs and consequently impaired YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1)-mediated translation of DNMT3A. We identified that DNMT3A bound to the promoter region of alpha-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (Atat1) and maintained its expression. METTL3 depletion resulted in the down-regulation of ATAT1, reduced acetylation of α-tubulin and subsequently enhanced migration of monocyte-derived macrophages and Aβ clearance, which led to the alleviated symptoms of AD. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that m6A methylation could be a promising target for the treatment of AD in the future.