Disruption of the mRNA m6A writer complex triggers autoimmunity in Arabidopsis

Distinguishing self from non-self is crucial to direct immune responses against pathogens. Unmodified RNAs stimulate human innate immunity, but RNA modifications suppress this response. mRNA m6A modification is essential for Arabidopsis thaliana viability. However, the molecular basis of the impact of mRNA m6A depletion is poorly understood. Here, we show that disruption of the Arabidopsis mRNA m6A writer complex triggers autoimmunity. Most gene expression changes in m6A writer complex vir-1 mutants grown at 17°C are explained by defence gene activation and are suppressed at 27°C, consistent with the frequent temperature sensitivity of Arabidopsis immunity. Accordingly, we found enhanced pathogen resistance and increased premature cell death in vir-1 mutants at 17°C but not 27°C. Global temperature-sensitive mRNA poly(A) tail length changes accompany these phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that autoimmunity is a major phenotype of mRNA m6A writer complex mutants, with important implications for interpreting the role of this modification. Furthermore, we open the broader question of whether unmodified RNA triggers immune signalling in plants.