Abstract
The epigenetic modification of the N6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) methylation plays an important role in virus infection and replication. However, its role in Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) replication has not been well studied. Here, we demonstrated that m(6)A modifications are increased in PK-15 cells after PCV2 infection. In particular, PCV2 infection could increase the expression of methyltransferase METTL14 and demethylase FTO. Moreover, interfering with METTL14 accumulation reduced the m(6)A methylation level and virus reproduction, whereas depleting the FTO demethylase enhanced the m(6)A methylation level and stimulated virus reproduction. Besides, we showed that METTL14 and FTO regulate PCV2 replication by affecting the process of miRNA maturity, especially the miRNA-30a-5p. Taken together, our results demonstrated that the m(6)A modification positively affects PCV2 replication and the role of m(6)A modification in the replication mechanism of the PCV2 virus provides a new idea for the prevention and control of the PCV2.