Regulation of iNKT cell development and function by METTL3

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a specific innate-like counterpart of T lymphocytes, which response to lipid-based antigens and provide a functional bridge between the innate and adaptive immunity. The physiological role of m6A modification involved in NK cells differentiation remains unclear. We found that N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase METTL3 is intrinsically required for iNKT cell development and function in an m6A-dependent manner. To investigate the molecular mechanisms, RNA-seq was performed using iNKT cells in thymocytes isolated from WT and KO mice to investigate the regulatory network. thymocytes iNKT cells (7AAD-CD1d-Tet+TCRβ+) purified by FACS sorting