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.