Recently, Professor Liu Huiquan's research team at the College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, unveiled the enzyme complex responsible for A-to-I mRNA editing in fungi. They clarified its origin, evolution, and regulatory mechanism, providing important new insights for fungal disease control and gene editing tool development. The related research findings were published in Nature Communications.
A-to-I mRNA editing is a crucial genetic information modification mechanism that converts adenosine (A) to inosine (I) in mRNA molecules. While A-to-I mRNA editing has been predominantly studied and reported in animals in the past, Professor Liu Huiquan's team first discovered this phenomenon in fungi in 2016. They demonstrated its vital role in the sexual reproduction and adaptive evolution of fungi like wheat scab pathogens. In animals, A-to-I mRNA editing is catalyzed by the enzyme ADAR, but since fungi lack a homologous gene for ADAR, the mechanism of A-to-I mRNA editing in fungi has remained a scientific puzzle.
Through nearly 8 years of in-depth research, Professor Liu Huiquan's team found that A-to-I mRNA editing in fungi is catalyzed by the Tad2-Tad3-Ame1 enzyme complex, with the specificity of A-to-I mRNA editing in fungi occurring during the sexual reproduction stage. The discovery of the origin and evolution of A-to-I mRNA editing mechanism in fungi holds broad application prospects. It can be utilized in the design and development of gene editing tools, particularly for gene therapy to address human genetic diseases. Furthermore, the A-to-I mRNA editing enzyme complex will serve as an excellent target for controlling fungal diseases.
The working principle and regulatory mechanism of the A-to-I mRNA editing enzyme complex in fungi.
Related paper information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48336-8
