Skip to content
Review Open access

RNA Chemical Modifications in Mammalian Skeletal Muscle Development, Homeostasis, and Disease: Regulatory Mechanisms and Chemical Biology Perspectives

Aug 2026 · Molecules · Vol 31, pp. 2797 · 1 citation · 195 references
Medicine

TL;DR

This article systematically reviews the progress in the study of RNA modification in regulating the fate of skeletal muscle, focusing on the dynamic regulatory mechanisms and pathophysiological significance of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in muscle differentiation, regeneration, and atrophy.

Abstract

Skeletal muscle is a core component of the motor system, responsible for movement, posture maintenance, and energy metabolism. It plays a vital role in physiological stress, injury repair, and metabolic homeostasis. In recent years, with the advancement of epigenetic research, RNA modification has become a hot topic in skeletal muscle biology. This article systematically reviews the progress in the study of RNA modification in regulating the fate of skeletal muscle, focusing on the dynamic regulatory mechanisms and pathophysiological significance of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in muscle differentiation, regeneration, and atrophy. It also briefly introduces the existing evidence for 5-methylcytidine (m5C), adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing, and pseudouridine (Ψ) in skeletal muscle. A comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms is crucial for elucidating the physiological regulation of skeletal muscle and the pathogenesis of related diseases and also provides a new direction for the development of intervention strategies.

Read PDF

Similar papers

Review Aug 2026

The role of m6A RNA methylation in skeletal muscle pathophysiology and its targeted therapeutic prospects.

The composition and function of the m6A modification system is summarized, with a focus on its critical roles in skeletal muscle physiology, including satellite cell fate determination, myofiber differentiation and fusion, and energy homeostasis, and the molecular mechanisms by which m6A network dysregulation contribut...

Jie Wang, Haiyan Jiang, Jiacheng Sun et al. · 1 citation
Review Open access Sep 2026

Decoding SUMOylation as a metabolic stress sensor in aging and age-related disorders: mechanisms, tissue specificity and therapeutic potential.

This synthesis provides a framework for understanding how SUMOylation links metabolic stress to tissue-specific aging trajectories and therapeutic potential and evaluates emerging translational approaches that highlight both the opportunities and challenges of targeting SUMO-regulated stress responses in aging.

Xin-Yue Liu, Shuang Chen, Dong-Can Liu et al. · 0 citations
Open access Sep 2026

Arginine methyltransferase signalling is hyperactive in conditions of neuromuscular junction instability and muscle atrophy

Background The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the site of communication between myofibers and α-motor neurons. Cellular and molecular mechanisms that determine, maintain, and remodel the neuromuscular synapse are poorly understood. Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) post-translationally modifi...

Andrew I. Mikhail, Sean Y. Ng, Magda A. Lesinski et al. · 0 citations
Review Open access Sep 2026

Chromatin remodeling in bone organoids: from epigenetic regulation to disease modeling and therapeutic translation

Chromatin remodeling contributes to skeletal development, tissue homeostasis, and disease by regulating nucleosome positioning, chromatin accessibility, and histone modifications. Bone organoids can partially reproduce the three-dimensional human bone microenvironment and provide new in vitro models for studying sk...

Yu-Xin Zheng, De-Feng Liu, Jun Hou et al. · 0 citations
Open access Sep 2026

miR-191 affects skeletal muscle differentiation by regulating Wwp1 in mouse myoblasts

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a key complication of various diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer. The mechanisms by which these diseases affect skeletal muscle metabolism need to be deeply explored. By analyzing the miRNA expression profiles in the plasma of patients with COPD, we foun...

Wen-Hua Pu, Mei-Mei Zhang, Si-Man Guo et al. · 0 citations
Review Open access Aug 2026

Epitranscriptomic Regulation of Bone Metabolism: Emerging Roles of N6‐Methyladenosine (m6A) Modification in Skeletal Homeostasis

The basic concepts of m6A modification are summarized and its emerging roles in the regulation of bone metabolism are discussed, with particular focus on osteoblasts, osteoclasts, osteocytes, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

S. Kokabu, Yuan Quan · 0 citations

We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads. See our Cookie Policy.