Summary: | <b>Background:</b> In higher eukaryotes, <i>N<sup>6</sup></i>-methyladenosine (m<sup>6</sup>A) is the most common internal form of messenger RNA modification. By mapping the m<sup>6</sup>A methyl genome in multiple species, the potential regulatory function of reversible m<sup>6</sup>A methylation on mRNA is revealed. Recent studies have shown that RNA m<sup>6</sup>A modification influences mRNA transcription, location, translation, stability, splicing, and nuclear export. However, there are not enough data on the m<sup>6</sup>A transcriptome-wide map and its potential biological role in the heat stress of Pak-choi (<i>Brassica rapa</i> ssp. <i>chinensis</i>). <b>Methods:</b> In this work, MeRIP-seq was used to obtain the first transcriptome-wide profiling of RNA m<sup>6</sup>A modification in Pak-choi. Meanwhile, the transcriptome data were obtained by analyzing the input samples’ sequencing data. <b>Results:</b> Our research indicated that with three replicates, there were 11,252 common m<sup>6</sup>A peaks and 9729 common m<sup>6</sup>A-containing genes identified in the normal (CK) and heat stress (T43) groups. It was found that m<sup>6</sup>A peaks were highly enriched in the 3′ untranslated region in both CK and T43 groups. About 80% of the genes have one m<sup>6</sup>A site. The consensus sequence of m<sup>6</sup>A peaks was also enriched, which showed as AAACCV (V: U/A/G). In addition, association analysis found that there is a certain relationship between the degree of m<sup>6</sup>A methylation and the transcription level, indicating that m<sup>6</sup>A plays a certain regulatory role in gene expression. <b>Conclusion:</b> This comprehensive map in the study may provide a solid basis for determining the potential function of RNA m<sup>6</sup>A modification in Pak-choi under normal (CK) and heat stress (T43) conditions.
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