Fig. 7: Model for METTL3-mediated m6A modification dampening viral RNA secondary structure to avoid innate immunity sensing. | Nature Communications

Fig. 7: Model for METTL3-mediated m6A modification dampening viral RNA secondary structure to avoid innate immunity sensing.

From: N6-methyladenosine RNA modification suppresses antiviral innate sensing pathways via reshaping double-stranded RNA

Fig. 7

In the proposed model, VSV RNA contains dsRNA structures to initiate innate immune sensing. During the VSV infection, METTL3 can be attracted from nucleus to cytoplasm to contact and modify VSV RNA. This m6A modification impairs the conformation of duplex structures in VSV RNA and interferes the sensing by dsRNA sensors involving RIG-I and MDA5, which attenuates innate immune response and helps virus invasion. When the host is deficient for METTL3, there are more dsRNA structures recognizing by RLRs to drive the expression of type I IFNs, following enhances in anti-viral function. However, the DNA virus HBV generates cccDNA in nuclear with sufficient m6A modification to produce less dsRNA.

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