5-methylcytosine promotes mRNA export — NSUN2 as the methyltransferase and ALYREF as an m5C reader

• DOI: 10.1038/cr.2017.55
• Publication Date: 2017-04-18T10:41:29Z
• Authors: Xin Yang; Ying Yang; Bao-Fa Sun; Yu-Sheng Chen; Jia-Wei Xu; Wei-Yi Lai; Ang Li; Xing Wang; Devi Prasad Bhatt...; Wen Xiao; Hui-Ying Sun; Qin Zhu; Hai-Li Ma; Samir Adhikari; Min Sun; Ya-Juan Hao; Bing Zhang; Chun-Min Huang; Niu Huang; Gui-Bin Jiang; Yong-Liang Zhao; Hai-Lin Wang; Ying-Pu Sun; Yun-Gui Yang
• Keywords: 5-Methylcytosine; Five-prime cap

5-methylcytosine (m5C) is a post-transcriptional RNA modification identified in both stable and highly abundant tRNAs rRNAs, mRNAs. However, its regulatory role mRNA metabolism still largely unknown. Here, we reveal that m5C modification enriched CG-rich regions immediately downstream of translation initiation sites has conserved, tissue-specific dynamic features across mammalian transcriptomes. Moreover, formation mRNAs mainly catalyzed by the methyltransferase NSUN2, specifically recognized export adaptor ALYREF as shown vitro vivo studies. NSUN2 modulates ALYREF's nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling, RNA-binding affinity associated export. Dysregulation ALYREF-mediated upon depletion could be restored reconstitution wild-type but not methyltransferase-defective NSUN2. Our study provides comprehensive profiles transcriptomes suggests an essential for regulation.