m6A Epitranscriptomics in the Heart

My doctoral research focused on how N6-methyladenosine (m6A) — the most abundant internal modification on mRNA — shapes cardiac function, metabolism, and remodeling. Using mouse models, molecular biology, nanopore sequencing, and multi-omics, we revealed that:

• METTL3, the primary m6A methyltransferase, is required for normal cardiac metabolism and shapes the systemic response to a Western diet (JCI Insight, 2025)
• YTHDF2, an m6A reader, regulates cardiomyocyte survival and stress response (Circulation, 2024)
• YTHDF3, another m6A reader, modulates the cardiac hypertrophic response to pressure overload (RNA, 2025)

This work established the cardiac m6A epitranscriptome as a critical layer of post-transcriptional gene regulation in heart health and disease.