Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Targeted RNA acetylation via a dCas13-guided engineered acetyl-transferase

We developed a programmable RNA acetylation system by fusing dCas13 with an engineered NAT10 variant, enabling robust and specific installation of N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) on target RNAs in cultured cells and live animals. This system facilitated functional studies of RNA acetylation and revealed ac4C has a distinct role in regulating transcript subcellular localization.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Targeted RNA acetylation reveals ac4C-driven changes in RNA localization.

References

  1. Schiffers, S. & Shalini, O. ac4C: a fragile modification with stabilizing functions in RNA metabolism. RNA 30, 583–594 (2024). A review article that presents fundamental characteristics, regulatory functions and mapping methods of ac4C modification.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Arango, D. et al. Acetylation of cytidine in mRNA promotes translation efficiency. Cell 175, 1872–1886 (2018). This paper provides initial mapping data demonstrating the presence and regulatory role of ac4C on human mRNA.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Sas-Chen, A. et al. Dynamic RNA acetylation revealed by quantitative cross-evolutionary mapping. Nature 583, 638–643 (2020). This study introduces the ac4C-seq method, providing limited evidence supporting the presence of ac4C modifications on human mRNA.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Song, J. et al. Programmable RNA base editing via targeted modifications. Nat. Chem. Biol. 20, 277–290 (2024). A review article summarizing various methodologies for site-specific RNA editing and modification.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Kudrin, P. et al. N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) promotes mRNA localization to stress granules. EMBO Rep. 25, 1814–1834 (2024). This study suggests NOP58 as a potential ac4C reader protein involved in transporting acetylated RNAs into stress granules.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Yu, J. et al. Programmable RNA acetylation with CRISPR–Cas13. Nat. Chem. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-025-01922-3 (2025).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Targeted RNA acetylation via a dCas13-guided engineered acetyl-transferase. Nat Chem Biol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-025-01923-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-025-01923-2

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing