Huang, W.-P. orcid.org/0009-0003-1656-5508, Kumar, V. orcid.org/0009-0000-7310-9769, Yap, K. et al. (11 more authors) (2025) M6A-dependent RNA condensation underlies FUS autoregulation and can be harnessed for ALS therapy development. Science Advances, 11 (30). ISSN: 2375-2548
Abstract
Mutations in the FUS gene cause aggressive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS-FUS). Beyond mRNA, FUS generates partially processed transcripts retaining introns 6 and 7. We demonstrate that these FUSint6&7-RNA molecules form nuclear condensates, scaffolded by the highly structured intron 7 and associated with nuclear speckles. Using hybridization-proximity labeling proteomics, we show that the FUSint6&7-RNA condensates are enriched for splicing factors and the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) reader YTHDC1. These ribonucleoprotein structures facilitate posttranscriptional FUS splicing and depend on m6A/YTHDC1 for integrity. In cells expressing mutant FUS, FUSint6&7-RNAs become hypermethylated, which in turn stimulates their condensation and splicing. We further show that FUS protein is repelled by m6A. Thus, ALS-FUS mutations may cause abnormal activation of FUS posttranscriptional splicing through altered RNA methylation. Notably, ectopic expression of FUS intron 7 sequences dissolves endogenous FUSint6&7-RNA condensates, down-regulating FUS mRNA and protein. Our findings reveal a condensation-dependent mechanism regulating FUS splicing, with possible therapeutic implications for ALS.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > Department of Neuroscience (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2025 07:54 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jul 2025 07:54 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1126/sciadv.adx1357 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:229603 |