PARP dependent acetylation of N4-cytidine in RNA appeared in UV-damaged chromatin

Posttranscriptional RNA modifications, including the presence of methyl-6-adenosine (m6A), methyl-5-cytosine (m5C), or pseudo-uridine (Ψ), are known for over many years, but their functional properties have not been fully elucidated yet. Similarly, the regulatory role of N4-cytidine (ac4C) acetylation in RNA must be explored. Here, we observed PARP-dependent accumulation of ac4C RNA at UVA-microirradiated chromatin, which appears 2-5 minutes after genome injury, simultaneously with m 6 A RNAs but with distinct kinetics. When m 6 A RNAs disappeared from the lesions, the high level of ac4C RNA was maintained up to 20 minutes after genome injury. Surprisingly, the process of ac4C RNA accumulation at DNA lesions was not accompanied by the recruitment of acetyltransferase NAT10 to UVA-induced DNA lesions. This process was PARP dependent, and data show how epitranscriptomic features can contribute to DNA damage repair.