iRNA-Methyl: Identifying N6-methyladenosine sites using pseudo nucleotide composition

Occurring at adenine (A) with the consensus motif GAC, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most abundant modifications in RNA, which plays very important roles in many biological processes. The nonuniform distribution of m6A sites across the genome implies that, for better understanding the regulatory mechanism of m6A, it is indispensable to characterize its sites in a genome-wide scope. Although a series of experimental technologies have been developed in this regard, they are both time-consuming and expensive. With the avalanche of RNA sequences generated in the postgenomic age, it is highly desired to develop computational methods to timely identify their m6A sites. In view of this, a predictor called “iRNA-Methyl” is proposed by formulating RNA sequences with the “pseudo dinucleotide composition” into which three RNA physiochemical properties were incorporated. Rigorous cross-validation tests have indicated that iRNA-Methyl holds very high potential to become a useful tool for genome analysis. For the convenience of most experimental scientists, a web-server for iRNA-Methyl has been established at http://lin.uestc.edu.cn/server/iRNA-Methyl by which users can easily get their desired results without needing to go through the mathematical details.