RNA m6A modification and its function in diseases

N (6)-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is the most common post-transcriptional RNA modification throughout the transcriptome, affecting fundamental aspects of RNA metabolism. m(6)A modification could be installed by m(6)A writers composed of core catalytic components (METTL3/METTL14/WTAP) and newly defined regulators and removed by m(6)A erasers (FTO and ALKBH5). The function of m(6)A is executed by m(6)A readers that bind to m(6)A directly (YTH domain-containing proteins, eIF3 and IGF2BPs) or indirectly (HNRNPA2B1). In the past few years, advances in m(6)A modulators (writers, erasers, and readers) have remarkably renewed our understanding of the function and regulation of m(6)A in different cells under normal or disease conditions. However, the mechanism and the regulatory network of m(6)A are still largely unknown. Moreover, investigations of the m(6)A physiological roles in human diseases are limited. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in m(6)A research and highlight the functional relevance and importance of m(6)A modification in in vitro cell lines, in physiological contexts, and in cancers.