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The emerging epitranscriptomic modification ac4C regulates plant development and stress adaptation

Nature Plants volume 11, pages 2200–2203 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

N4-acetylcytidine is an evolutionarily conserved RNA modification that plays a key role in regulating transcript stability and translation. Although extensively studied in mammals, its prevalence and functional importance in plant transcriptomes remain unclear. Recent advances in transcriptome-wide mapping and functional characterization have revealed the important role of N4-acetylcytidine modification in plant-specific processes. Here we discuss how N4-acetylcytidine is deposited by plant writers, summarize its influence on plant development and adaptation, outline the major challenges and future directions in the field and highlight its potential applications for crop improvement.

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Fig. 1: The enzymatic regulation of ac4C in mRNA and its functional diversity in mammals and plants.
Fig. 2: Biological functions of mRNA ac4C in plants.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program (grant no. 2024YFF1000800), the Guangxi Science and Technology Major Program (grant nos. AA24206006, 2025FNFN99006, and AA24206023), the Guangxi Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (grant no. 2024JJG130008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos 32460147 and U24A20387), the Ba-Gui Youth Talent Support Program of Guangxi (to Q.X.), and the starting research grant for High-Level Talents from Guangxi University (grant no. ZX01080033124005). We acknowledge the use of AI-based language assistance, which was limited to refining grammar and improving readability. The authors are fully responsible for the content and interpretation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, China

    Jiayu Yao, Guiyu Xiao, Heyang Shang, Jisen Zhang & Qiutao Xu

  2. Key Laboratory of Modern Molecular Breeding for Dominant Crops in Ningxia, College of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China

    Xuan Ma

  3. Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Institute of Agro-bioengineering, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China

    Shugang Hui

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  1. Jiayu Yao
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  2. Guiyu Xiao
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  3. Xuan Ma
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  4. Shugang Hui
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  6. Jisen Zhang
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Contributions

J.Y., G.X., X.M., H.S. and S.H. contributed to manuscript revision. J.Y. and G.X. conceptualized and designed the figures. J.Z. and Q.X. wrote the original manuscript and participated in subsequent revisions. All authors critically reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jisen Zhang or Qiutao Xu.

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Yao, J., Xiao, G., Ma, X. et al. The emerging epitranscriptomic modification ac4C regulates plant development and stress adaptation. Nat. Plants 11, 2200–2203 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02140-4

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