Phase transition of WTAP regulates m6A modification of interferon-stimulated genes

N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) is the most prevalent modification of mRNA which controls diverse physiological processes. Although m 6 A modification has been reported to regulate type I interferon (IFN) responses by targeting the mRNA of IFN-β and the interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), the detailed mechanism of how m 6 A methyltransferase complex (MTC) rapidly responds to conduct the modification on nascent mRNA during IFN-β stimulation remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that WTAP, the adaptor protein of m 6 A MTC, undergoes dephosphorylation-regulated phase transition from aggregates to liquid-like condensates under IFN-β stimulation, thereby mediating m 6 A modification of a subset of ISGs to restrict their expression. The phase transition of WTAP promotes the interaction with nucleus-translocated transcription factor STAT1, recruits MTC to the promoter regions of ISGs and directs the co-transcriptional m 6 A modification on ISG mRNAs. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel regulatory role of WTAP phase transition in manipulating signaling pathways and fine-tuning immune response by orchestrating dynamic m 6 A modification through the cooperation of transcription factors and MTC. Our findings unveil a novel mechanism by which WTAP phase transition controls immune homeostasis via transcription factor-MTC-driven dynamic m 6 A modification, thereby proposing a potential therapeutic target for alleviating immune dysregulation.

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Publication Details

Journal
eLife
Published
2025-05-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.100601.3
Primary Topic
RNA modifications and cancer
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Phase transition of WTAP regulates m6A modification of interferon-stimulated genes

Shouheng Jin, Jun Cui, Chenqiu Zhang, Jie Zhou et al.
eLife
RNA modifications and cancer
article

Phase transition of WTAP regulates m6A modification of interferon-stimulated genes

Shouheng Jin, Jun Cui, Chenqiu Zhang, Jie Zhou, Shujian Cai, Jian Ren, Xiaotong Luo
article en

Abstract

N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) is the most prevalent modification of mRNA which controls diverse physiological processes. Although m 6 A modification has been reported to regulate type I interferon (IFN) responses by targeting the mRNA of IFN-β and the interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), the detailed mechanism of how m 6 A methyltransferase complex (MTC) rapidly responds to conduct the modification on nascent mRNA during IFN-β stimulation remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that WTAP, the adaptor protein of m 6 A MTC, undergoes dephosphorylation-regulated phase transition from aggregates to liquid-like condensates under IFN-β stimulation, thereby mediating m 6 A modification of a subset of ISGs to restrict their expression. The phase transition of WTAP promotes the interaction with nucleus-translocated transcription factor STAT1, recruits MTC to the promoter regions of ISGs and directs the co-transcriptional m 6 A modification on ISG mRNAs. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel regulatory role of WTAP phase transition in manipulating signaling pathways and fine-tuning immune response by orchestrating dynamic m 6 A modification through the cooperation of transcription factors and MTC. Our findings unveil a novel mechanism by which WTAP phase transition controls immune homeostasis via transcription factor-MTC-driven dynamic m 6 A modification, thereby proposing a potential therapeutic target for alleviating immune dysregulation.

eLifeVol. 13
Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Peking University (CN), Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (CN), Center for Life Sciences (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 89%
RNA modifications and cancer
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