RNA modifications in plant biotic interactions.

Abstract

The chemical modifications of DNA and proteins are powerful mechanisms for regulating molecular and biological functions, influencing a wide array of signaling pathways in eukaryotes. Recent advancements in epitranscriptomics have shown that RNA modifications play crucial roles in diverse biological processes. Since their discovery in the 1970s, scientists have sought to decipher, identify, and elucidate the functions of these modifications across biological systems. Over the past decade, mounting evidence has demonstrated the importance of RNA modification pathways in plants, prompting significant efforts to decipher their physiological relevance. With the advent of high-resolution mapping techniques for RNA modifications and the gradual uncovering of their biological roles, our understanding of this additional layer of regulation is beginning to take shape. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the major RNA modifications identified in plants, with an emphasis on N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A), the most extensively studied modification. We discuss the functional significance of the effector components involved in m⁶A modification and its diverse roles in plant biotic interactions, including plant-virus, plant-bacterium, plant-fungus, and plant-insect relationships. Furthermore, we highlight new technological developments driving research progress in this field and outline key challenges that remain to be addressed.