m6A mRNA Methylation in Hematopoiesis: The Importance of Writing, Erasing, and Reading

Over recent years, epitranscriptomic research has provided a new layer of gene regulation during hematopoietic development and aberrant hematopoiesis. Among the 170 identified RNA chemical marks, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant in eukaryotic cells and plays a critical role in various biological processes. This dynamic modification is regulated by a series of methyltransferases, demethylases and m6A binding proteins, known as writers, erasers and readers, respectively. Emerging evidence suggests that m6A modification and its regulators are involved in every aspect of normal hematopoietic development, from the emergence of hematopoietic stem cell to the generation of mature blood cells. Also, it has been established that abnormal expression of m6A regulators is implicated in the initiation of blood diseases. In this review, we summarize the latest findings refarding the role of m6A in erythropoiesis and highlight its implication in the pathophysiology of hemoglobin disorders.