m6A mRNA Methylation in Hematopoiesis: The Importance of Writing, Erasing, and Reading.

Over recent years, epitranscriptomic research has provided a new layer of gene regulation during hematopoietic development and aberrant hematopoiesis. Among the 170 identified RNA chemical marks, N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most abundant in eukaryotic cells and plays a critical role in various biological processes. This dynamic modification is regulated by a series of methyltransferases, demethylases, and m⁶A binding proteins, known as writers, erasers, and readers, respectively. Emerging evidence suggests that m⁶A modification and its regulators are involved in every aspect of normal hematopoietic development, from the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells to the generation of mature blood cells. Also, it has been established that abnormal expression of m⁶A regulators is implicated in the initiation of blood diseases. In this review, we summarize the latest findings regarding the role of m⁶A in erythropoiesis and highlight its implications in the pathophysiology of hemoglobin disorders.