m 6 A-mediated regulation of crop development and stress responses.

Dynamic chemical modifications in eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) constitute an essential layer of gene regulation, among which N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) was unveiled to be the most abundant. m 6 A functionally modulates important biological processes in various mammals and plants through the regulation of mRNA metabolism, mainly mRNA degradation and translation efficiency. Physiological functions of m 6 A methylation are diversified and affected by intricate sequence contexts and m 6 A machineries. A number of studies have dissected the functional roles and the underlying mechanisms of m 6 A modifications in regulating plant development and stress responses. Recently, it was demonstrated that the human FTO-mediated plant m 6 A removal caused dramatic yield increases in rice and potato, indicating that modulation of m 6 A methylation could be an efficient strategy for crop improvement. In this review, we summarize the current progress concerning the m 6 A-mediated regulation of crop development and stress responses, and provide an outlook on the potential application of m 6 A epitranscriptome in the future improvement of crops.