Cell and Developmental Biology Seminar Series: Dynamic epitranscriptomic marks; critical regulators of meiosis and the developing brain

The dynamics of epitranscriptomic marks, her N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N1-methyladenosine (m1A) in RNA, were identified very recently. Early studies on m6A modifications in mRNA of various model organisms have identified crucial roles of this mark in meiosis and for fertility. The reversible nature of this modification points towards important regulatory roles. While the modification itself seems to act as a canonical Adenosine, specific reader proteins that bind m6A translate m6A containing mRNAs into gene activities by modulating e.g. their stability and translation. Recent studies identified crucial roles for some of these reader proteins, including YTHDF1 and YTHDF2, in brain development and behavior. At present, we design reporter models for in depth analysis of m6A reader proteins in meiosis, with a particular focus on the maternal-to-zygotic-transition (MZT), and early brain development.
We also work on characterizing the more mysterious role of the dynamic RNA mark m1A that also seem to affect fertility and neuronal morphology.