Comparative RNA editomics prioritizes candidate adaptive RNA editing sites
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GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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PUBLIC SUMMARY
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The neutral theory and molecular error hypothesis propose most molecular complexity may be non-adaptive.
Certain RNA editing sites represent a plastic anti-pleiotropic mechanism resolving evolutionary trade-offs.
Comparative RNA editomics is a pipeline encompassing editing identification and evolutionary analysis.
Validating adaptive RNA editing relies on the comparisons between fully edited and uneditable mutants.
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ABSTRACT
A-to-I mRNA editing is a widespread RNA modification that introduces A-to-G variations at mRNA level, enhancing transcriptomic and proteomic diversity without altering the genome. Recently, the term adaptation has gained significant attention but lacks a mechanistic classification. This article aims to discuss conceptual frameworks and research methods related to adaptive and non-adaptive RNA editing. We begin by discussing neutral evolution and the molecular error theory, highlighting that while identifying adaptive signals is desirable, most molecular complexity may be non-adaptive. Conceptually, adaptation could be understood as a continuum between two poles: (1) the permanent mutations leading to fixed adaptation, which is pleiotropic, and (2) the acquisition of plasticity to cope with changing environments, which is anti-pleiotropic. Adaptive RNA editing actually belongs to the latter class due to its regulatable nature. We introduce the term “comparative RNA editomics” to encompass the analyses related to RNA editing, including identification, selection analysis, linkage analysis, condition-specificity, and evolutionary dynamics based on multi-omics data. Such pipelines allow us to prioritize potential adaptive editing sites (e.g., Adar auto-recoding in insects) from non-adaptive editing (e.g., Drosophila lncRNA roX1 editing). The adaptive nature of several recoding and stop-codon read-through editing sites in Fusarium graminearum have been experimentally validated due to the high feasibility of genetic manipulation and phenotypical assays in fungi. Our deep insights complement traditional views on adaptation and facilitate future studies in functional genomics.-
Keywords:
- RNA editing /
- adaptation /
- neutral evolution /
- comparative RNA editomics /
- experimental validation
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Duan Y.G., Cai W.Z. and Li H. (2026). Comparative RNA editomics prioritizes candidate adaptive RNA editing sites. The Innovation Insights 1:100009. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.tiis.2026.100009
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Duan Y.G., Cai W.Z. and Li H. (2026). Comparative RNA editomics prioritizes candidate adaptive RNA editing sites. The Innovation Insights 1:100009. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.tiis.2026.100009
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Figure 1.
Illustration of two conceptual poles of adaptation
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Figure 2.
Comparative RNA editomics analysis followed by experimental validation to identify adaptive RNA editing sites
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Figure 3.
In search of functional and potentially adaptive RNA editing sites in animals
