A conserved role of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in spermatogenesis

Epitranscriptomics is an emerging field that addresses questions about the way RNA modifications affect gene expression. There are numerous known RNA modifications with N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) being the most prevalent. A wide range of biological processes such as spermatogenesis rely on the m 6 A modification. From an evolutionary perspective, m 6 A and its regulatory components are conserved during the process of spermatogenesis, owing to the efficiency and significance of the process. Studies in a wide range of organisms have helped to clarify the role of m 6 A in sperm development. Here we summarize articles focused on the role of m 6 A during spermatogenesis in various animal models. We incorporate animal studies that have been conducted on one of the three major m 6 A regulatory components, writers, readers and erasers. Additionally, we have added information from studies on m 6 A transcriptome wide investigations. Incorporating these investigations provides perspective to the conserved nature of the process, while contextualizing the impact research on spermatogenesis may have broadly.