While the existence of post-transcriptional modifications of RNA nucleotides has been known for decades, in most RNA species the exact positions of these modifications and their physiological function have been elusive until recently. Technological advances, such as high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods and nanopore-based mapping technologies, have made it possible to map the position of these modifications with single nucleotide accuracy, and genetic screens have uncovered the “writer”, “reader” and “eraser” proteins that help to install, interpret and remove such modifications, respectively. These discoveries led to intensive research programmes with the aim of uncovering the roles of these modifications during diverse biological processes. In this review, we assess novel discoveries related to the role of post-transcriptional modifications during animal development, highlighting how these discoveries can affect multiple aspects of development from fertilization to differentiation in many species.

虽然几十年来人们就知道 RNA 核苷酸转录后修饰的存在，但在大多数 RNA 物种中，这些修饰的确切位置及其生理功能直到最近才变得难以捉摸。高通量下一代测序（NGS）方法和基于纳米孔的作图技术等技术进步，使得以单核苷酸精度绘制这些修饰的位置成为可能，而基因筛选则揭示了“作者”，“ reader”和“eraser”蛋白质分别帮助安装、解释和删除此类修改。这些发现引发了深入的研究计划，旨在揭示这些修饰在不同生物过程中的作用。在这篇综述中，我们评估了与动物发育过程中转录后修饰的作用相关的新发现，强调这些发现如何影响许多物种从受精到分化等发育的多个方面。