Regulation of Antiviral Immune Response by N6-Methyladenosine of mRNA

Abstract

Host innate and adaptive immune responses play a vital role in clearing infected viruses. Meanwhile, viruses also evolve a series of mechanisms to weaken the host immune responses and evade immune defense. Recently, N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent mRNA modification, has been revealed to regulate multiple steps of RNA metabolism, such as mRNA splicing, localization, stabilization, and translation, thus participating in many biological phenomena, including viral infection. In the process of virus–host interaction, the m6A modification that presents on the virus RNA impedes capture by the pattern recognition receptors, and the m6A modification appearing on the host immune-related molecules regulate interferon response, immune cell differentiation, inflammatory cytokine production, and other immune responses induced by viral infection. This review summarizes the research advances about the regulatory role of m6A modification in the innate and adaptive immune responses during viral infections.