BioProject

DNA N6-methyladenosine (6mA) in eukaryotic genomes has recently been observed in diverse species. More...

DNA N6-methyladenosine (6mA) in eukaryotic genomes has recently been observed in diverse species. 6mA has been reported to associate with multiple physiological processes including embryonic development and tumorigenesis, and ALKBH1 is a primary 6mA demethylase in mouse and human cells. To research the roles of 6mA and its putative regulators such as putative ALKBH1 in the homeostatic maintenance of human stem cells and their differentiated derivatives, We generated ALKBH1-deficient human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). We next differentiated ALKBH1+/+ and ALKBH1-/- hESCs into human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (hVSMCs). Early-onset growth arrest of ALKBH1-/- hMSCs was observed, and increased apoptosis and enhanced migration ability were observed in ALKBH1-/- hVSMCs. However, liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis revealed no change in 6mA levels between ALKBH1+/+ and ALKBH1-/- hESCs, between ALKBH1+/+ and ALKBH1-/- hMSCs, and between ALKBH1+/+ and ALKBH1-/- hVSMCs, respectively. These data demonstrate that depletion of ALKBH1 exerts minimal impact on 6mA levels in hESCs and their differentiated derivatives and that ALKBH1 regulates the homeostasis of hMSCs and hVSMCs possibly in a DNA 6mA-independent manner. Overall design: RNA/WGS sequencing of ALKBH1+/+ and ALKBH1-/- hMSCs. Less...