Comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome-wide m6A methylome of neonatal heart regeneration via MeRIP sequencing

Aim: To systematically classify the profile of the RNA m6A modification landscape of neonatal heart regeneration. Materials and 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 m6A-modified transcripts was conducted with m6A-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 were lower in P7 rat hearts than in P0 ones. In all, 1637 m6A peaks were differentially expressed using m6A-RIP-seq, with 84 upregulated and 1553 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. Conclusion: Our data show novel information on m6A modification changes in cardiac regeneration. The modifications made possible by directly modulating m6A may attract future study of cardiac regeneration. Overall design: mRNA profiles and m6A profiles in heart tissues of 0 day old and 7 day old rat.