Aim
To systematically classify the profile of the RNA m6A modification landscape of neonatal heart regeneration. Materials and
Conclusion
Our data provided novel information on m6A modification changes between Day 0 and Day 7 cardiomyocytes, which identified that increased METTL3 expression may enhance the proliferative capacity of neonatal cardiomyocytes, providing a theoretical basis for future clinical studies on the direct regulation of m6A in the proliferative capacity of cardiomyocytes.
Methods
Cardiomyocyte proliferation markers were detected via immunostaining. The expression of m6A modification regulators was detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting. Genome-wide profiling of methylation-modified transcripts was conducted with methylation-modified RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (m6A-RIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) dataset was used to verify the hub genes.
Results
METTL3 and the level of m6A modification in total RNA was lower in P7 rat hearts than in P0 ones. In all, 1,637 methylation peaks were differentially expressed using m6A-RIP-seq, with 84 upregulated and 1,553 downregulated. Furthermore, conjoint analyses of m6A-RIP-seq, RNA-seq, and GEO data generated eight potential hub genes with differentially expressed hypermethylated or hypomethylated m6A levels.