Genome-wide identification of m6A methyltransferase genes and m6A modification participates in the response to cold stress in rice

作者：Shihuan He, Jinxi Xiang, Rui Wang, Zichan Ye, Yue Zhang, Yunxia Fang, Xiaoqin Zhang, Jing Zhang, Xiaoguang Chen, Dawei Xue · 发表于：Frontiers in Plant Science · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.3389/fpls.2026.1804596 · 研究领域：RNA modifications and cancer、Cancer-related gene regulation、RNA Research and Splicing

RNA modification is crucial for the post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism that plays a pivotal role in determining RNA structure and function. Among these, N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) represents the most abundant one in eukaryotic mRNA. In plants, m 6 A modification is catalyzed by a complex comprising multiple methyltransferase components. In this study, bioinformatic analyses were employed to characterize the genes of m 6 A methyltransferases (m 6 A writers), including their physicochemical properties, structures, cis -acting elements, chromosomal distributions, phylogenetic relationships, and predicted protein structures. Moreover, qRT-PCR and LC-MS/MS were utilized to investigate the expression patterns of m 6 A writer genes as well as the m 6 A abundance in total RNA from rice seedlings under low-temperature conditions. Additionally, m 6 A me-RIP sequencing was performed to explore changes in the m 6 A profile of mRNA in rice under cold stress. Collectively, our findings revealed the involvement in the regulation of mRNA m 6 A modification under cold stress in rice.