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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of human death. Recently, ALKB homologs, including ALKBH1-8 and FTO, have been found to have a variety of biological functions, such as histone demethylation, RNA demethylation, and DNA demethylation. These functions may regulate the physiological and pathological processes of CVDs, including inflammation, oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, and mitochondrial, endothelial, and fat metabolism dysfunction. In the present review, we summarize the biological functions of ALKB homologs and the relationship between the ALKB homologs and CVDs. Importantly, we discuss the roles of ALKB homologs in the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and DNA damage in CVDs, as well as the practical applications of ALKB homologs inhibitors or agonists in treating CVDs. In conclusion, the ALKBH family might be a promising target for CVDs therapy., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

RNA methylation and demethylation, which is mediated by RNA methyltransferases (referred to as "writers") and demethylases (referred to as "erasers"), respectively, are emerging as a key regulatory process in plant development and stress responses. Although several studies have shown that AlkB homolog (ALKBH) proteins are potential RNA demethylases, the function of most ALKBHs is yet to be determined. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains thirteen genes encoding ALKBH proteins, the functions of which are largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the function of a potential eraser protein, ALKBH6 (At4g20350), during seed germination and seedling growth in Arabidopsis under abiotic stresses. The seeds of T-DNA insertion alkbh6 knockdown mutants germinated faster than the wild-type seeds under cold, salt, or abscisic acid (ABA) treatment conditions but not under dehydration stress conditions. Although no differences in seedling and root growth were observed between the alkbh6 mutant and wild-type under normal conditions, the alkbh6 mutant showed a much lower survival rate than the wild-type under salt, drought, or heat stress. Cotyledon greening of the alkbh6 mutants was much higher than that of the wild-type upon ABA application. Moreover, the transcript levels of ABA signaling-related genes, including ABI3 and ABI4 , were down-regulated in the alkbh6 mutant compared to wild-type plants. Importantly, the ALKBH6 protein had an ability to bind to both m 6 A-labeled and m 5 C-labeled RNAs. Collectively, these results indicate that the potential eraser ALKBH6 plays important roles in seed germination, seedling growth, and survival of Arabidopsis under abiotic stresses.

N 1 -methyladenosine (m 1 A), N 3 -methylcytidine (m 3 C), and N 1 -methylguanosine (m 1 G) are common in transfer RNA (tRNA) and tRNA-derived fragments. These modifications alter Watson-Crick base-pairing, and cause pauses or stops during reverse transcription required for most high-throughput RNA sequencing protocols, resulting in inefficient detection of methyl-modified RNAs. Here, we describe a procedure to demethylate RNAs containing m 1 A, m 3 C, or m 1 G using the Escherichia coli dealkylating enzyme AlkB, along with instructions for subsequent processing with widely used protocols for small RNA sequencing.

N 1-methyladenosine (m1A), N 3-methylcytidine (m3C), and N 1-methylguanosine (m1G) are common in transfer RNA (tRNA) and tRNA-derived fragments. These modifications alter Watson-Crick base-pairing, and cause pauses or stops during reverse transcription required for most high-throughput RNA sequencing protocols, resulting in inefficient detection of methyl-modified RNAs. Here, we describe a procedure to demethylate RNAs containing m1A, m3C, or m1G using the Escherichia coli dealkylating enzyme AlkB, along with instructions for subsequent processing with widely used protocols for small RNA sequencing.