Reading RNA methylation codes through methyl-specific binding proteins

N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is a prevalent modification of eukaryotic mRNAs. It regulates yeast cell fate and is essential to the development and fertility of metazoans. Although its presence in mRNA has been known since the early 1970s, the function of m(6)A remained a mystery until the spate of discoveries in the past three years. Here, we focus on the discovery of m(6)A readers (proteins that specifically recognize m(6)A), and their functions in tuning mRNA stability, as well as the broader significance of such m(6)A-dependent regulation of gene expression.