ALKBH8 as a potential N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) eraser in insects

The N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) machinery functions through three groups of proteins in eukaryotic cells, including m(6)A writers, erasers and readers. The m(6)A cellular machinery has mostly been characterised in mammalian species, and the relevant literature on insects is currently scant. While homologues of m(6)A writers and readers have been reported from insects, no erasers have been described so far. Here, using BLAST search, we searched for potential erasers in insects. While we found homologues of human m(6)A eraser ALKBH5 in termites, beetles and true bugs, they could not be found in representative dipteran and lepidopteran species. However, a potential m(6)A eraser, ALKBH8, was identified and experimentally investigated. Our results showed that ALKBH8 can reduce the m(6)A levels of Aedes aegypti and Drosophila melanogaster RNAs, suggesting that AeALKBH8 could be a candidate m(6)A eraser in insects.