Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species

Abstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an essential RNA modification that regulates gene expression and influences diverse cellular processes. Yet, fully characterizing its transcriptome-wide landscape and biogenesis mechanisms remains challenging. Traditional next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods...

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Main Authors: Ying-Yuan Xie, Zhen-Dong Zhong, Hong-Xuan Chen, Ze-Hui Ren, Yuan-Tao Qiu, Ye-Lin Lan, Fu Wu, Jin-Wen Kong, Ru-Jia Luo, Delong Zhang, Biao-Di Liu, Yang Shu, Feng Yin, Jian Wu, Zigang Li, Zhang Zhang, Guan-Zheng Luo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60447-4
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author Ying-Yuan Xie
Zhen-Dong Zhong
Hong-Xuan Chen
Ze-Hui Ren
Yuan-Tao Qiu
Ye-Lin Lan
Fu Wu
Jin-Wen Kong
Ru-Jia Luo
Delong Zhang
Biao-Di Liu
Yang Shu
Feng Yin
Jian Wu
Zigang Li
Zhang Zhang
Guan-Zheng Luo
author_facet Ying-Yuan Xie
Zhen-Dong Zhong
Hong-Xuan Chen
Ze-Hui Ren
Yuan-Tao Qiu
Ye-Lin Lan
Fu Wu
Jin-Wen Kong
Ru-Jia Luo
Delong Zhang
Biao-Di Liu
Yang Shu
Feng Yin
Jian Wu
Zigang Li
Zhang Zhang
Guan-Zheng Luo
author_sort Ying-Yuan Xie
collection DOAJ
description Abstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an essential RNA modification that regulates gene expression and influences diverse cellular processes. Yet, fully characterizing its transcriptome-wide landscape and biogenesis mechanisms remains challenging. Traditional next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods rely on short-reads aggregation, overlooking the inherent heterogeneity of RNA transcripts. Third-generation sequencing (TGS) platforms offer direct RNA sequencing (DRS) at the resolution of individual RNA molecules, enabling simultaneous detection of RNA modifications and RNA processing events. In this study, we introduce SingleMod, a deep learning model tailored for precise detection of m6A modification on individual RNA molecules from DRS data. SingleMod innovatively employs a multiple instance regression (MIR) framework, leveraging extensive methylation-rate labels provided by the quantitative NGS-based method, and achieves ROC AUC and PR AUC of ~0.95 for single-molecule m6A prediction. Applying SingleMod to human cell lines, we systematically dissect the transcriptome-wide m6A landscape at single-molecule and single-base resolution, characterizing m6A heterogeneity in RNA molecules from the same transcript. Through comparative analyzes across eight diverse species, we quantitatively elucidate three distinct m6A distribution patterns correlated with phylogenetic relationships and suggest divergent regulatory mechanisms. This study provides a framework for understanding the shaping of epitranscriptome in a single-molecule perspective.
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spelling doaj-art-e4090075d1104788b9f625c076401ca62025-08-20T02:05:38ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-06-0116111710.1038/s41467-025-60447-4Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple speciesYing-Yuan Xie0Zhen-Dong Zhong1Hong-Xuan Chen2Ze-Hui Ren3Yuan-Tao Qiu4Ye-Lin Lan5Fu Wu6Jin-Wen Kong7Ru-Jia Luo8Delong Zhang9Biao-Di Liu10Yang Shu11Feng Yin12Jian Wu13Zigang Li14Zhang Zhang15Guan-Zheng Luo16State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityPingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay LaboratoryState Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural UniversityPingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay LaboratoryState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityAbstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an essential RNA modification that regulates gene expression and influences diverse cellular processes. Yet, fully characterizing its transcriptome-wide landscape and biogenesis mechanisms remains challenging. Traditional next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods rely on short-reads aggregation, overlooking the inherent heterogeneity of RNA transcripts. Third-generation sequencing (TGS) platforms offer direct RNA sequencing (DRS) at the resolution of individual RNA molecules, enabling simultaneous detection of RNA modifications and RNA processing events. In this study, we introduce SingleMod, a deep learning model tailored for precise detection of m6A modification on individual RNA molecules from DRS data. SingleMod innovatively employs a multiple instance regression (MIR) framework, leveraging extensive methylation-rate labels provided by the quantitative NGS-based method, and achieves ROC AUC and PR AUC of ~0.95 for single-molecule m6A prediction. Applying SingleMod to human cell lines, we systematically dissect the transcriptome-wide m6A landscape at single-molecule and single-base resolution, characterizing m6A heterogeneity in RNA molecules from the same transcript. Through comparative analyzes across eight diverse species, we quantitatively elucidate three distinct m6A distribution patterns correlated with phylogenetic relationships and suggest divergent regulatory mechanisms. This study provides a framework for understanding the shaping of epitranscriptome in a single-molecule perspective.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60447-4
spellingShingle Ying-Yuan Xie
Zhen-Dong Zhong
Hong-Xuan Chen
Ze-Hui Ren
Yuan-Tao Qiu
Ye-Lin Lan
Fu Wu
Jin-Wen Kong
Ru-Jia Luo
Delong Zhang
Biao-Di Liu
Yang Shu
Feng Yin
Jian Wu
Zigang Li
Zhang Zhang
Guan-Zheng Luo
Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
Nature Communications
title Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
title_full Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
title_fullStr Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
title_full_unstemmed Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
title_short Single-molecule direct RNA sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
title_sort single molecule direct rna sequencing reveals the shaping of epitranscriptome across multiple species
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60447-4
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