m⁶A: Widespread regulatory control in virus replication

N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is a highly pervasive and dynamic modification found on eukaryotic RNA. Despite the failure to comprehend the true regulatory potential of this epitranscriptomic mark for decades, our knowledge of m⁶A has rapidly expanded in recent years. The modification has now been functionally linked to all stages of mRNA metabolism and demonstrated to regulate a variety of biological processes. Furthermore, m6A has been identified on transcripts encoded by a wide range of viruses. Studies to investigate m⁶A function in viral-host interactions have highlighted distinct roles indicating widespread regulatory control over viral life cycles. As a result, unveiling the true influence of m⁶A modification could revolutionise our comprehension of the regulatory mechanisms controlling viral replication. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: mRNA modifications in gene expression control edited by Dr. Soller Matthias and Dr. Fray Rupert.