Structure and regulation of ZCCHC4 in m6A-methylation of 28S rRNA.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification provides an important epitranscriptomic mechanism that critically regulates RNA metabolism and function. However, how m6A writers attain substrate specificities remains unclear. We report the 3.1 Å-resolution crystal structure of human CCHC zinc finger-containing protein ZCCHC4, a 28S rRNA-specific m6A methyltransferase, bound to S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine. The methyltransferase (MTase) domain of ZCCHC4 is packed against N-terminal GRF-type and C2H2 zinc finger domains and a C-terminal CCHC domain, creating an integrated RNA-binding surface. Strikingly, the MTase domain adopts an autoinhibitory conformation, with a self-occluded catalytic site and a fully-closed cofactor pocket. Mutational and enzymatic analyses further substantiate the molecular basis for ZCCHC4-RNA recognition and a role of the stem-loop structure within substrate in governing the substrate specificity. Overall, this study unveils unique structural and enzymatic characteristics of ZCCHC4, distinctive from what was seen with the METTL family of m6A writers, providing the mechanistic basis for ZCCHC4 modulation of m6A RNA methylation

m6A mRNA demethylase FTO regulates melanoma tumorigenicity and response to anti-PD-1 blockade

Melanoma is one of the most deadly and therapy-resistant cancers. Here we show that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA demethylation by fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) increases melanoma growth and decreases response to anti-PD-1 blockade immunotherapy. FTO level is increased in human melanoma and enhances melanoma tumorigenesis in mice. FTO is induced by metabolic starvation stress through the autophagy and NF-κB pathway. Knockdown of FTO increases m6A methylation in the critical protumorigenic melanoma cell-intrinsic genes including PD-1 (PDCD1), CXCR4, and SOX10, leading to increased RNA decay through the m6A reader YTHDF2. Knockdown of FTO sensitizes melanoma cells to interferon gamma (IFNγ) and sensitizes melanoma to anti-PD-1 treatment in mice, depending on adaptive immunity. Our findings demonstrate a crucial role of FTO as an m6A demethylase in promoting melanoma tumorigenesis and anti-PD-1 resistance, and suggest that the combination of FTO inhibition with anti-PD-1 blockade may reduce the resistance to immunotherapy in melanoma. © 2019, The Author(s)

Nanopore direct RNA sequencing maps the complexity of Arabidopsis mRNA processing and m6A modification

Understanding genome organization and gene regulation requires insight into RNA transcription, processing and modification. We adapted nanopore direct RNA sequencing to examine RNA from a wild-type accession of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and a mutant defective in mRNA methylation (m6A). Here we show that m6A can be mapped in full-length mRNAs transcriptome-wide and reveal the combinatorial diversity of cap-associated transcription start sites, splicing events, poly(A) site choice and poly(A) tail length. Loss of m6A from 3’ untranslated regions is associated with decreased relative transcript abundance and defective RNA 30 end formation. A functional consequence of disrupted m6A is a lengthening of the circadian period. We conclude that nanopore direct RNA sequencing can reveal the complexity of mRNA processing and modification in full-length single molecule reads. These findings can refine Arabidopsis genome annotation. Further, applying this approach to less well-studied species could transform our understanding of what their genomes encode

METTL3 regulates WTAP protein homeostasis

The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1)-associated protein (WTAP) is upregulated in many tumors, including, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), where it plays an oncogenic role by interacting with different proteins involved in RNA processing and cell proliferation. In addition, WTAP is also a regulator of the nuclear complex required for the deposition of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) into mRNAs, containing the METTL3 methyltransferase. However, it is not clear if WTAP may have m6A-independent regulatory functions that might contribute to its oncogenic role. Here, we show that both knockdown and overexpression of METTL3 protein results in WTAP protein upregulation, indicating that METTL3 levels are critical for WTAP protein homeostasis. However, we show that WTAP upregulation is not sufficient to promote cell proliferation in the absence of a functional METTL3. Therein, these data indicate that the reported oncogenic function of WTAP is strictly connected to a functional m6A methylation complex

m6a RNA methylation: the implications for health and disease

The recent resurgence of interest in m6a has been spurred by some intriguing findings detailing the effects and dynamics of this epigenetic modification. The m6a modification is a highly reactive and fluid modification which can respond rapidly to a broad variety of stimuli, and translate these signals into cellular activity. The little information that has been established on its functional capacity has opened up many new avenues of research and has tremendous implications for several fields of study. Here we outline the breakthroughs which have led to the resurgence of interest in this modification and discuss the effects and potential they represent in terms of control in the immune system, viral replication and infection, as well as the occurrence and progression of cancer

HSP90 inhibitors stimulate DNAJB4 protein expression through a mechanism involving N6-methyladenosine.

Small-molecule inhibitors for the 90-kDa heat shock protein (HSP90) have been extensively exploited in preclinical studies for the therapeutic interventions of human diseases accompanied with proteotoxic stress. By using an unbiased quantitative proteomic method, we uncover that treatment with three HSP90 inhibitors results in elevated expression of a large number of heat shock proteins. We also demonstrate that the HSP90 inhibitor-mediated increase in expression of DNAJB4 protein occurs partly through an epitranscriptomic mechanism, and is substantially modulated by the writer, eraser, and reader proteins of N6-methyladenosine (m6A). Furthermore, exposure to ganetespib leads to elevated modification levels at m6A motif sites in the 5'-UTR of DNAJB4 mRNA, and the methylation at adenosine 114 site in the 5'-UTR promotes the translation of the reporter gene mRNA. This m6A-mediated mechanism is also at play upon heat shock treatment. Cumulatively, we unveil that HSP90 inhibitors stimulate the translation of DNAJB4 through an epitranscriptomic mechanism

Cyclin D1 integrates G9a-mediated histone methylation.

Lysine methylation of histones and non-histone substrates by the SET domain containing protein lysine methyltransferase (KMT) G9a/EHMT2 governs transcription contributing to apoptosis, aberrant cell growth, and pluripotency. The positioning of chromosomes within the nuclear three-dimensional space involves interactions between nuclear lamina (NL) and the lamina-associated domains (LAD). Contact of individual LADs with the NL are dependent upon H3K9me2 introduced by G9a. The mechanisms governing the recruitment of G9a to distinct subcellular sites, into chromatin or to LAD, is not known. The cyclin D1 gene product encodes the regulatory subunit of the holoenzyme that phosphorylates pRB and NRF1 thereby governing cell-cycle progression and mitochondrial metabolism. Herein, we show that cyclin D1 enhanced H3K9 dimethylation though direct association with G9a. Endogenous cyclin D1 was required for the recruitment of G9a to target genes in chromatin, for G9a-induced H3K9me2 of histones, and for NL-LAD interaction. The finding that cyclin D1 is required for recruitment of G9a to target genes in chromatin and for H3K9 dimethylation, identifies a novel mechanism coordinating protein methylation

Modulation of internuclear communication in multinuclear Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes

The syntheses and characterisation of a series of mononuclear and dinuclear ruthenium polypyridyl complexes based on the bridging ligands 1,3-bis-[5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]benzene, 1,4-bis-[5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]benzene, 2,5-bis-[5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]thiophene, 2,5-bis-[5-pyrazinyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]thiophene are reported. Electrochemical studies indicate that in these systems, the ground state interaction is critically dependent on the nature of the bridging ligand and its protonation state, with strong and weak interactions being observed for thiophene- and phenylene-bridged complexes, respectively