N-Methyladenosine and Viral Infection.

N-methyladenosine (mA), as a dynamic posttranscriptional RNA modification, recently gave rise to the field of viral epitranscriptomics. The interaction between virus and host is affected by mA. Multiple mA-modified viral RNAs have been observed. The epitranscriptome of mA in host cells are altered after viral infection. The expression of viral genes, the replication of virus and the generation of progeny virions are influenced by mA modifications in viral RNAs during virus infection. Meanwhile, the decorations of mA in host mRNAs can make viral infections more likely to happen or can enhance the resistance of host to virus infection. However, the mechanism of mA regulation in viral infection and host immune response has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. With the development of sequencing-based biotechnologies, transcriptome-wide mapping of mA in viruses has been achieved, laying the foundation for expanding its functions and corresponding mechanisms. In this report, we summarize the positive and negative effects of mA in distinct viral infection. Given the increasingly important roles of mA in diverse viruses, mA represents a novel potential target for antiviral therapy.