m 6 A RNA methylation, a new hallmark in virus-host interactions

The role of m(6) A methylation of RNA has remained elusive for decades, but recent technological advances are now allowing the mapping of the m(6) A methylation landscape at nucleotide level. This has spurred an explosion in our understanding of the role played by RNA epigenetics in RNA biology. m(6) A modifications have been tied to almost every aspect of the mRNA life cycle and it is now clear that RNA virus genomes are subject to m(6) A methylation. These modifications play various roles in the viral replication cycle. This review will summarize recent breakthroughs concerning m(6) A RNA modification and their implications for cellular and viral RNAs.