Fig. 1

The biological process of m6A modification. The m6A modification process consists of three steps: “writing,” “erasing,” and “reading.” First, the methyltransferase complex (comprising the catalytic subunit METTL3, the auxiliary catalytic subunit METTL14, and regulatory proteins such as WTAP) catalyzes the addition of a methyl group to the N6 position of adenosine, a step known as “writing.” Next, demethylases (such as FTO and ALKBH5) can remove the m6A modification from RNA, a process termed “erasing,” allowing for dynamic regulation of the modification. Furthermore, m6A modifications are recognized by “reader” proteins (such as the YTH/IGF2BP family), which regulate the fate of mRNA, including its translation efficiency, stability, localization, and splicing