Regulation of RNA N-methyladenosine modification and its emerging roles in skeletal muscle development.

N-methyladenosine (mA) is one of the most widespread and highly conserved chemical modifications in cellular RNAs of eukaryotic genomes. Owing to the development of high-throughput mA sequencing, the functions and mechanisms of mA modification in development and diseases have been revealed. Recent studies have shown that RNA mA methylation plays a critical role in skeletal muscle development, which regulates myoblast proliferation and differentiation, and muscle regeneration. Exploration of the functions of mA modification and its regulators provides a deeper understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle development. In the present review, we aim to summarize recent breakthroughs concerning the global landscape of mA modification in mammals and examine the biological functions and mechanisms of enzymes regulating mA RNA methylation. We describe the interplay between mA and other epigenetic modifications and highlight the regulatory roles of mA in development, especially that of skeletal muscle. mA and its regulators are expected to be targets for the treatment of human muscle-related diseases and novel epigenetic markers for animal breeding in meat production.