ECT12, an YTH-domain protein, is a potential mRNA mA reader that affects abiotic stress responses by modulating mRNA stability in Arabidopsis.

N-methyladenosine (mA), the most abundant modification found in eukaryotic mRNAs, is interpreted by mA "readers," thus playing a crucial role in regulating RNA metabolism. The YT521-B homology-domain (YTHD) proteins, also known as EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED C-TERMINAL REGION (ECT), are recognized as mA reader proteins in plants and animals. Among the 13 potential YTHD family proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, the functions of only a few members are known. In this study, we determined the function of ECT12 (YTH11) as a potential mA reader that plays a crucial role in response to abiotic stresses. The loss-of-function ect12 mutants showed no noticeable developmental defects under normal conditions but displayed hypersensitivity to salt or dehydration stress. The salt- or dehydration-hypersensitive phenotypes were correlated with altered levels of several mA-modified stress-responsive transcripts. Notably, the increased or decreased transcript levels were associated with each transcript's reduced or enhanced decay, respectively. Electrophoretic mobility shift and RNA-immunoprecipitation assays showed that ECT12 binds to mA-modified RNAs both in vitro and in planta, suggesting its role as an mA reader. Collectively, these results indicate that the potential mA reader ECT12 regulates the stability of mA-modified RNA transcripts, thereby facilitating the response of Arabidopsis to abiotic stresses.