Hepatitis B virus X protein recruits methyltransferases to affect cotranscriptional N6-methyladenosine modification of viral/host RNAs
Geon‐Woo Kim, Aleem Siddiqui
Abstract
Significance N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) modification occurs in cellular RNAs and viral transcripts and regulates the fate of cellular and viral RNAs. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transcripts are m 6 A-methylated in the consensus DRACH motif in the epsilon stem–loop, and this modification differentially regulates the viral life cycle depending on the m 6 A position at the 5′- or 3′-epsilon stem–loop. Here, we report that HBV X (HBx) protein recruits cellular m 6 A machinery onto HBV minichromosome and host PTEN chromosomal locus to add m 6 A modification cotranscriptionally. Induced m 6 A modification of HBV RNAs and PTEN mRNA by HBx decreases their stability. This study identifies the mechanism by which a viral protein regulates m 6 A modification of RNA.