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Yanan Yue

Bio: Yanan Yue is an academic researcher from Zhejiang University. The author has contributed to research in topics: RNA & N6-Methyladenosine. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 11 publications receiving 4300 citations. Previous affiliations of Yanan Yue include The Chinese University of Hong Kong & Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
02 Jan 2014-Nature
TL;DR: It is shown that m6A is selectively recognized by the human YTH domain family 2 (YTHDF2) ‘reader’ protein to regulate mRNA degradation and established the role of YTH DF2 in RNA metabolism, showing that binding of Y THDF2 results in the localization of bound mRNA from the translatable pool to mRNA decay sites, such as processing bodies.
Abstract: N(6)-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is the most prevalent internal (non-cap) modification present in the messenger RNA of all higher eukaryotes. Although essential to cell viability and development, the exact role of m(6)A modification remains to be determined. The recent discovery of two m(6)A demethylases in mammalian cells highlighted the importance of m(6)A in basic biological functions and disease. Here we show that m(6)A is selectively recognized by the human YTH domain family 2 (YTHDF2) 'reader' protein to regulate mRNA degradation. We identified over 3,000 cellular RNA targets of YTHDF2, most of which are mRNAs, but which also include non-coding RNAs, with a conserved core motif of G(m(6)A)C. We further establish the role of YTHDF2 in RNA metabolism, showing that binding of YTHDF2 results in the localization of bound mRNA from the translatable pool to mRNA decay sites, such as processing bodies. The carboxy-terminal domain of YTHDF2 selectively binds to m(6)A-containing mRNA, whereas the amino-terminal domain is responsible for the localization of the YTHDF2-mRNA complex to cellular RNA decay sites. Our results indicate that the dynamic m(6)A modification is recognized by selectively binding proteins to affect the translation status and lifetime of mRNA.

2,699 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is reported here that human METTL14 catalyzes m6A RNA methylation, and together with METTL3, the only previously known m 6A methyltransferase, these two proteins form a stable heterodimer core complex ofMETTL3-14 that functions in cellular m6 a deposition on mammalian nuclear RNAs.
Abstract: Certain adenosine residues within mammalian RNAs undergo reversible N6 methylation. Two methyltransferase enzymes, METTL3 and METTL14, as well as the splicing factor WTAP are identified as core components of the multiprotein complex that deposits RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in nuclear RNAs.

2,081 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The broad roles of m(6)A in regulating cell fates and embryonic development highlight the existence of another layer of epigenetic regulation at the RNA level, where mRNA is subjected to chemical modifications that affect protein expression.
Abstract: Both DNA and histone proteins undergo dynamic and reversible chemical modifications to control gene expression (Strahl and Allis 2000; Bird 2001; Suzuki and Bird 2008; Bhutani et al. 2011; Jones 2012; Kohli and Zhang 2013). Although post-transcriptional modifications are known to occur to RNAs, the impact of these modifications on gene expression regulation has only recently begun to be explored (He 2010). To date, more than a hundred structurally distinct chemical modifications have been found in eukaryotic RNAs (Cantara et al. 2011; Machnicka et al. 2013); however, the enzymes responsible for each modification and the biological consequences of these modified RNAs are largely unknown. RNA modifications were once considered to be static, but a flurry of recent discoveries has demonstrated that some chemical modifications can be dynamic and participate in the regulation of diverse physiological processes (Motorin and Helm 2011; Yi and Pan 2011; Chan et al. 2012; Fu et al. 2014; Meyer and Jaffrey 2014; Kirchner and Ignatova 2015). The presence of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in polyadenylated mRNA was first discovered in the 1970s (Desrosiers et al. 1974; Perry and Kelley 1974; Lavi and Shatkin 1975; Wei et al. 1975; Schibler et al. 1977; Wei and Moss 1977) by researchers who were characterizing the 5′ cap structure of messenger RNA (mRNA) in mammalian cells. Since then, m6A has been identified as the most prevalent internal modification in mRNA and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in higher eukaryotes. It is widely conserved among eukaryotic species that range from yeast, plants, and flies to mammals as well as among viral mRNAs that replicate inside host nuclei (Krug et al. 1976; Beemon and Keith 1977; Horowitz et al. 1984; Bokar 2005). In addition to its occurrence in mRNA, m6A also exists in various classes of RNA in eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea, including ribosomal RNAs, small nuclear RNAs, and transfer RNAs (Bjork et al. 1987; Maden 1990; Shimba et al. 1995; Gu et al. 1996; Agris et al. 2007; Piekna-Przybylska et al. 2008). Despite its widespread distribution in the mammalian transcriptome (on average, approximately three m6A sites per mRNA), functional insight has been lacking, possibly due to the low abundance of m6A mRNA and technical difficulties in global detection. Interest in the biological relevance of m6A in mRNA resurfaced after the discovery of two mammalian RNA demethylases, FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated protein) (Jia et al. 2011) and its homolog, ALKBH5 (Zheng et al. 2013), which selectively reverse m6A to adenosine in nuclear RNA. FTO is associated with human obesity (Dina et al. 2007; Frayling et al. 2007; Loos and Yeo 2014) and mental development (Hess et al. 2013), while ALKBH5 is shown to affect mouse spermatogenesis in a demethylation-dependent manner (Zheng et al. 2013), suggesting broad roles of m6A in various physiological processes. Shortly after these findings, YTHDF2 (YTH domain-containing family protein 2) was identified as the first m6A reader protein that preferentially recognizes m6A-containing mRNA (Dominissini et al. 2012; Wang et al. 2014a) and mediates mRNA decay (Wang et al. 2014a), thereby suggesting a role for m6A RNA as a negative regulator of gene expression. On the other hand, a transcriptome-wide m6A profiling method was developed to decipher the m6A RNA landscape (Dominissini et al. 2012; Meyer et al. 2012). Intriguingly, m6A sites in mammalian polyadenylated RNA are dominated by the conserved Pu[G > A]m6AC[A/C/U] motif that localizes near stop codons, in 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs), within long internal exons, and at 5′ UTRs (Dominissini et al. 2012; Meyer et al. 2012; Schwartz et al. 2013; Li et al. 2014; Luo et al. 2014), immediately raising the question of how this specificity is achieved. The m6A RNA landscape is initially sculptured by a methyltransferase complex, but for a long time, METTL3 (methyltransferase-like 3) was the only known SAM (S-adenosyl methionine)-binding subunit associated with mRNA methylation (Bokar et al. 1997). In 2014, a new mammalian methyltransferase, METTL14, was discovered to catalyze m6A methylation. Together with METTL3, these two proteins form a stable heterodimer complex that mediates cellular m6A deposition on mammalian mRNAs (Liu et al. 2014; Wang et al. 2014b). Recently, the mammalian splicing factor WTAP (Wilms’ tumor 1-associating protein) was identified as the third auxiliary factor of the core methyltransferase complex that affects cellular m6A methylation (Liu et al. 2014; Ping et al. 2014). The identification and characterization of the complete mammalian m6A methylation machinery are the first steps toward deciphering the selectivity and biological functions of m6A deposition in eukaryotic mRNAs. In this review, we mainly summarize recent progress in the study of m6A methylation in mRNA across different eukaryotes and discuss their newly discovered roles in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation. We first describe the features of m6A on a global scale and briefly introduce the mammalian m6A writers, erasers, and readers that specifically install, remove, or bind to m6A at defined sequence motifs (Fig. 1). We then discuss the evolutional conservation of the m6A methylation machinery across eukaryotic species that range from yeast, plants, and flies to mammals, highlighting the broad roles of methyltransferases and m6A in regulating cell status and embryonic development. Finally, we discuss the emerging functions of m6A in several mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene expression regulation with a special focus on the effects of m6A on differentiation and reprograming of stem cells. Figure 1. Illustration of the cellular pathways of m6A in nuclear RNAs. The m6A methyltransferases and demethylases dynamically control the m6A methylation landscape within the nucleus. The m6A reader proteins preferentially bind to the methylated RNA and mediate ...

659 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A characterization of the full m6A methyltransferase complex in HeLa cells is reported identifying METTL3/METTL14/WTAP/VIRMA/HAKAI/ZC3H13 as the key components, and it is shown that VIRMA mediates preferential mRNA methylation in 3′UTR and near stop codon.
Abstract: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is enriched in 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) and near stop codon of mature polyadenylated mRNAs in mammalian systems and has regulatory roles in eukaryotic mRNA transcriptome switch. Significantly, the mechanism for this modification preference remains unknown, however. Herein we report a characterization of the full m6A methyltransferase complex in HeLa cells identifying METTL3/METTL14/WTAP/VIRMA/HAKAI/ZC3H13 as the key components, and we show that VIRMA mediates preferential mRNA methylation in 3′UTR and near stop codon. Biochemical studies reveal that VIRMA recruits the catalytic core components METTL3/METTL14/WTAP to guide region-selective methylations. Around 60% of VIRMA mRNA immunoprecipitation targets manifest strong m6A enrichment in 3′UTR. Depletions of VIRMA and METTL3 induce 3′UTR lengthening of several hundred mRNAs with over 50% targets in common. VIRMA associates with polyadenylation cleavage factors CPSF5 and CPSF6 in an RNA-dependent manner. Depletion of CPSF5 leads to significant shortening of 3′UTR of over 2800 mRNAs, 84% of which are modified with m6A and have increased m6A peak density in 3′UTR and near stop codon after CPSF5 knockdown. Together, our studies provide insights into m6A deposition specificity in 3′UTR and its correlation with alternative polyadenylation.

554 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, hyperbranched poly(2,5-silole)s [hb-P1(m), m = 1, 6] are synthesized for the first time in this work.
Abstract: Hyperbranched poly(2,5-silole)s [hb-P1(m), m = 1, 6] are synthesized for the first time in this work. 1,1-Dialkyl-2,5-bis(4-ethynylphenyl)-3,4-diphenylsiloles [1(m)] were polymerized by TaBr5, affording hb-P1(m) with high molecular weights (Mw up to 2.5 × 105) in high yields (up to 98%). The structures of hb-P1(m) were characterized by spectroscopic methods and the degree of branching of hb-P1(6) was determined to be 0.55. The hyperbranched polymers are soluble and stable, with no changes in solubility observed after they have been stored under ambient conditions for more than two years. Absorption and emission spectra of hb-P1(m) are red-shifted from those of 1(m), indicating that the polymers are more conjugated than the monomers. Both 1(m) and hb-P1(m) are nonemissive or weekly fluorescent when dissolved in their good solvents but become highly emissive when aggregated in their poor solvents or fabricated into thin solid films, showing unusual phenomena of aggregation-induced (AIE) and -enhanced emissi...

212 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper presents a meta-analysis of the chiral stationary phase transition of Na6(CO3)(SO4)2, a major component of the response of the immune system to Na2CO3.
Abstract: Ju Mei,†,‡,∥ Nelson L. C. Leung,†,‡,∥ Ryan T. K. Kwok,†,‡ Jacky W. Y. Lam,†,‡ and Ben Zhong Tang*,†,‡,§ †HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China ‡Department of Chemistry, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Division of Biomedical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Guangdong Innovative Research Team, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

5,658 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this critical review, recent progress in the area ofAIE research is summarized and typical examples of AIE systems are discussed, from which their structure-property relationships are derived.
Abstract: Luminogenic materials with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) attributes have attracted much interest since the debut of the AIE concept in 2001. In this critical review, recent progress in the area of AIE research is summarized. Typical examples of AIE systems are discussed, from which their structure–property relationships are derived. Through mechanistic decipherment of the photophysical processes, structural design strategies for generating new AIE luminogens are developed. Technological, especially optoelectronic and biological, applications of the AIE systems are exemplified to illustrate how the novel AIE effect can be utilized for high-tech innovations (183 references).

4,996 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
04 Jun 2015-Cell
TL;DR: In a unified mechanism of m(6)A-based regulation in the cytoplasm, YTHDF2-mediated degradation controls the lifetime of target transcripts, whereasYTHDF1-mediated translation promotion increases translation efficiency, ensuring effective protein production from dynamic transcripts that are marked by m( 6)A.

2,179 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is reported here that human METTL14 catalyzes m6A RNA methylation, and together with METTL3, the only previously known m 6A methyltransferase, these two proteins form a stable heterodimer core complex ofMETTL3-14 that functions in cellular m6 a deposition on mammalian nuclear RNAs.
Abstract: Certain adenosine residues within mammalian RNAs undergo reversible N6 methylation. Two methyltransferase enzymes, METTL3 and METTL14, as well as the splicing factor WTAP are identified as core components of the multiprotein complex that deposits RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in nuclear RNAs.

2,081 citations