Abstract: N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A),the RNA methylation of the 6th nitrogen atom of the adenine A base group,is the most common and abundant RNA modification in eukaryotic cells.The dynamic and reversible m⁶A modification is catalyzed by a methyltransferase complex composed of methyltransferase-like 3(METTL3)and its cofactors.The RNA methylation modification signal is eliminated by demethylases such as fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and ALKB homolog 5 (ALKBH5),and the m⁶A modification site is recognized by m⁶A binding proteins.m⁶A modification has become a research hotspot in the field of epigenetics,as it can regulate molecular regulatory effects such as RNA splicing,enucleation,translation and stability.Skeletal muscle is an important component of the animal body,and its development involves multiple processes such as proliferation,migration,differentiation and fusion of myoblasts to form myotubes,which in turn form muscle fibers,it is regulated by various transcription factors and epigenetics.Among them,m⁶A methylation modification plays a role in regulating the maintenance,proliferation,and differentiation of muscle stem cells.Recent studies have shown that transcription and post-transcriptional regulation mediated by m⁶A methylation play a crucial role in the growth and development of skeletal muscle.The authors introduce the types and functions of m⁶A methylation modification enzymes,and with a focus on summarizing the regulatory effects and mechanisms of m⁶A methylation modification in skeletal muscle growth,development and related diseases,so as to provide new ideas for analyzing the epigenetic regulation mechanism of muscle development and discovering potential therapeutic targets for skeletal muscle diseases.

Key words: m⁶A methylation; m⁶A methylation modification enzyme; skeletal muscle; regulation mechanism