m6A mRNA modification: a new layer of regulation of brain development from neurons to glia

Obtaining a properly developed brain is the result of tightly controlled regulation of gene expression. RNA modifications, known as the Epitrancriptome, constitute a dynamic layer of control of gene expression, that allows quick response to developmental changes. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common mRNA modification and its biological consequences depend on the interplay between the components of the m6A machinery: the “writers”, that deposit m6A, the “erasers”, that remove the m6A and the “readers”, that recognize and bind m6a marked transcripts. We are interested in understanding the contribution of this modification to different aspects of brain development, and we use Drosophila melanogaster to address this question. We have previously highlighted that m6A plays an important role in neurons during development, affecting axons growth in several neuronal circuits, but little is known about m6A role in other CNS populations such as glia. We are therefore currently investigating how m6A in glia contributes to neurodevelopment, with a particular interest for its role in astrocytes. In the seminar, I will give an overview of our past and present work on m6A functions during development.