Single-nucleotide resolution mapping of m6A of zebrafish mRNAs in early embryonic development links m6A modifications to the maternal-to-zygotic transition

Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant epigenetic modification on eukaryotic mRNA and has important roles in gene expression. While m6A distribution and localization have been defined in zebrafish using antibody-based methods, no research has been published on the distribution of m6A during zebrafish embryogenesis with single-base precision. Here, we present the transcriptome-wide m6A landscape at single-nucleotide resolution during zebrafish early embryonic development using m6A-selective allyl chemical labeling and sequencing (m6A-SAC-seq). We identify over 36,000 high-confidence unique m6A sites that are primarily located in the DRACH consensus motif in long internal exons, 3UTRs, and near stop codons. Our results show a >4-fold decrease in m6A levels from 256-cell to 50% epiboly, clearly linking this methylation to zebrafish maternal-to-zygotic transition. We highlight that differential methylation between developmental stages was observed in transcripts associated with mRNA metabolism, translational processing, and organ development.