Role of the m⁶A methyltransferase Mettl16 in <i>Drosophila</i> development

The useful part

by Penghui Song, Lijuan Ma, Dong Yan N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A), one of the most abundant chemical modifications on RNA, is installed by METTL3 and several other methyltransferases, including METTL16. Here, we show that, unlike in mammals, Drosophila Mettl16 mutants are viable but exhibit multiple developmental and behavioral defects. Both male and female mutants are sterile, with severe gametogenesis defects.

How it works

• Mettl16 mutant germ cells can pass the mitotic and meiotic stages, but are defective in spermatid elongation and individualization.
• Mettl16-GFP localizes predominantly to the nucleus, and its absence does not impair global protein synthesis in wing disc epithelial cells.
• MeRIP-Seq analysis indicates that Mettl16 loss affects m 6 A on only a small subset of transcripts, to the broad effect of Mettl3.
• We further demonstrate that Mettl16 interacts with U6 snRNA and is required for its m 6 A modification.
• Accordingly, Mettl16 mutants display widespread alterations in alternative splicing.