M6A2Target: a comprehensive database for targets of m6A writers, erasers and readers

N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is the most abundant posttranscriptional modification in mammalian mRNA molecules and has a crucial function in the regulation of many fundamental biological processes. The m(6)A modification is a dynamic and reversible process regulated by a series of writers, erasers and readers (WERs). Different WERs might have different functions, and even the same WER might function differently in different conditions, which are mostly due to different downstream genes being targeted by the WERs. Therefore, identification of the targets of WERs is particularly important for elucidating this dynamic modification. However, there is still no public repository to host the known targets of WERs. Therefore, we developed the m(6)A WER target gene database (m6A2Target) to provide a comprehensive resource of the targets of m(6)A WERs. M6A2Target provides a user-friendly interface to present WER targets in two different modules: `Validated Targets', referred to as WER targets identified from low-throughput studies, and 'Potential Targets', including WER targets analyzed from high-throughput studies. Compared to other existing m(6)A-associated databases, m6A2Target is the first specific resource for m(6)A WER target genes. M6A2Target is freely accessible at http://m6a2target.canceromics.org .

Automated summary

N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is the most abundant posttranscriptional modification in mammalian mRNA molecules, playing a crucial role. The m(6)A modification is a dynamic and reversible process regulated by a series of writers, erasers, and readers (WERs). Identification of the targets of WERs is particularly important for understanding this dynamic modification.