Phosphate Starvation Shapes M(6)A Modification and Poly(A) Tails to Regulate mRNA Decay in Rice.

In rice, phosphate starvation remodels m6A methylation and poly(A) tail length to regulate mRNA decay, with mRNA decay rates linked to specific sequence and modification features.

• Why it matters: Plants must reprogram gene expression under inorganic phosphate fluctuations, and RNA decay likely shapes mRNA stability beyond transcriptional control.
• What they did: The study built a genome-wide mRNA decay assay in rice using Direct RNA sequencing, then assessed how 5' UTR/CDS G/C content, CDS RNA structure, 3' UTR m6A/m5C, intron number, and poly(A) tail length relate to decay under Pi starvation.
• The result: PSI and PSD genes decayed faster than non-responsive genes, Pi starvation accelerated PSI decay but slowed PSD decay, and nanopore data showed m6A and poly(A) tail length (not m5C) are central; OsYTH10 overexpression protected m6A-modified OsPT2 and OsPAP21b transcripts from degradation.

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