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EPIGENETICS

6mA in stress tolerance across generations

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 20, pages 66–67 (2019)Cite this article

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DNA N6-adenosine methylation (N6-methyladenosine; 6mA) is a common epigenetic modification in bacteria. 6mA is also detected in some eukaryotes, but its physiological role beyond bacteria is unclear. Now, Ma et al. show that 6mA is a transgenerational epigenetic modification that confers mitochondrial stress adaptation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

F5 animals lost the tolerance to mitochondrial stress, which suggested that this tolerance is mediated by epigenetic changes. Indeed, histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) factors were required for the transmission of stress tolerance. Furthermore, adaptation to mitochondrial stress was associated with a heritable increase in H3K4me3 levels at gene promoters, particularly those of mitochondrial stress response genes.

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Original article

Further reading

  • Shpilka, T. & Haynes, C. M. The mitochondrial UPR: mechanisms, physiological functions and implications in ageing. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 19, 109–120 (2018)

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  • Skvortsova, K., Iovino, N. & Bogdanović, O. Functions and mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance in animals. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 19, 774–790 (2018)

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  1. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology http://www.nature.com/nrm/

    Grant Otto

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  1. Grant Otto
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Correspondence to Grant Otto.

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Otto, G. 6mA in stress tolerance across generations. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 20, 66–67 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-018-0091-1

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