N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most common post-transcriptional modification of RNA in eukaryotes that regulates the post-transcriptional expression level of genes without changing the base sequence. The role of m⁶A in fungal keratitis has not yet been elucidated. Here, we aimed to identify m⁶A modification changes and their potential roles in fungal keratitis. The murine model of fungal keratitis was established by inoculating mice with Fusarium solani (F. solani). The overall m⁶A level was detected via an m⁶A RNA methylation assay kit. The expression levels of key m⁶A modification-related genes were estimated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The expression and localization of METTL (methyltransferase like)3, the key component of the m⁶A methyltransferase complex, was determined by immunostaining and Western blotting (WB). Immunoprecipitation methylation microarray was used to describe the changes in m⁶A modification in F. solani-infected corneal tissue. The overall m⁶A level in corneal tissue on the 5th day in the F. solani-treated group was upregulated compared with that in the control group. The demethylase levels were unaltered, but the level of the methylase METTL3 was increased significantly after fungal infection. Additionally, differences were found in m⁶A modifications in 1137 mRNAs, of which 780 were hypermethylated and 357 were hypomethylated. To the best of our knowledge, the present work is the first investigation on the m⁶A modification profiles in experimental fungal keratitis, and it may provide a potential therapeutic target.

N6-甲基腺苷 (m ⁶ A) 是真核生物中最常见的 RNA 转录后修饰，可在不改变碱基序列的情况下调节基因的转录后表达水平。m ⁶ A 在真菌性角膜炎中的作用尚未阐明。在这里，我们旨在确定 m ⁶ A 修饰变化及其在真菌性角膜炎中的潜在作用。用茄病镰孢( F. solani )接种小鼠建立真菌性角膜炎小鼠模型。通过m ⁶ A RNA甲基化测定试剂盒检测总体m ⁶ A水平。关键 m ⁶的表达水平通过定量实时聚合酶链反应 (PCR) 估计与修饰相关的基因。METTL（甲基转移酶样）3（m ⁶ A 甲基转移酶复合物的关键成分）的表达和定位通过免疫染色和蛋白质印迹法 (WB) 确定。免疫沉淀甲基化微阵列用于描述受茄病菌感染的角膜组织中 m ⁶ A 修饰的变化。F. solani第 5 天角膜组织的总体 m ⁶ A 水平- 治疗组与对照组相比上调。去甲基酶水平没有改变，但甲基化酶 METTL3 的水平在真菌感染后显着增加。此外，在 1137 个 mRNA中发现了 m ⁶ A 修饰的差异，其中 780 个是高甲基化的，357 个是低甲基化的。据我们所知，目前的工作是对实验性真菌性角膜炎中m ⁶ A 修饰谱的首次研究，它可能提供一个潜在的治疗靶点。