M6A-mediated molecular patterns and tumor microenvironment infiltration characterization in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most predominant RNA epigenetic regulation in eukaryotic cells. Numerous evidence revealed that m6A modification exerts a crucial role in the regulation of tumor microenvironment (TME) cell infiltration in several tumors. Nevertheless, the potential role and mechanism of m6A modification in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unknown. mRNA expression data and clinical information from GSE102349, and GSE53819 datasets obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was used for differential gene expression and subsequent analysis. Consensus clustering was used to identify m6A-related molecular patterns of 88 NPC samples based on prognostic m6A regulators using Univariate Cox analysis. The TME cell-infiltrating characteristics of each m6A-related subclass were explored using single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGSEA) algorithm and CIBERSORT algotithm. DEGs between two m6A-related subclasses were screened using edgeR package. The prognostic signature and predicated nomogram were constructed based on the m6A-related DEGs. The cell infiltration and expression of prognostic signature in NPC was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. Chi-square test was used to analysis the significance of difference of the categorical variables. And survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank tests. The NPC samples were divided into two m6A-related subclasses. The TME cell-infiltrating characteristics analyses indicated that cluster 1 is characterized by immune-related and metabolism pathways activation, better response to anit-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 treatment and chemotherapy. And cluster 2 is characterized by stromal activation, low expression of HLA family and immune checkpoints, and a worse response to anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 treatment and chemotherapy. Furthermore, we identified 1558 DEGs between two m6A-related subclasses and constructed prognostic signatures to predicate the progression-free survival (PFS) for NPC patients. Compared to non-tumor samples, REEP2, TMSB15A, DSEL, and ID4 were upregulated in NPC samples. High expression of REEP2 and TMSB15A showed poor survival in NPC patients. The interaction between REEP2, TMSB15A, DSEL, ID4, and m6A regulators was detected. Our finding indicated that m6A modification plays an important role in the regulation of TME heterogeneity and complexity.

Comprehensive analysis of m6A modification in immune infiltration, metabolism and drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is important in regulating mRNA stability, splicing, and translation, and it also contributes to tumor development. However, there is still limited understanding of the comprehensive effects of m6A modification patterns on the tumor immune microenvironment, metabolism, and drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we utilized unsupervised clustering based on the expression of 23 m6A regulators to identify m6A clusters. We identified differential m6A modification patterns and characterized m6A-gene-cluster A, which exhibited poorer survival rates, a higher abundance of Treg cells, and increased expression of TGFβ in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Additionally, m6A-gene-cluster A demonstrated higher levels of glycolysis activity, cholesterol metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis. We also found that the m6A score was associated with prognosis and drug resistance. Patients with a low m6A score experienced worse prognoses, which were linked to an abundance of Treg cells, upregulation of TGFβ, and increased metabolic activity. HCC patients with a higher m6A score showed improved prognosis following sorafenib treatment and immunotherapy. In conclusion, we reveals the association between m6A modification patterns and the tumor immune microenvironment, metabolism, and drug resistance in HCC. Furthermore, the m6A score holds potential as a predictive factor for the efficacy of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in HCC.

Unraveling IGFBP3-mediated m6A modification in fracture healing

BACKGROUND

This study investigates the role of IGFBP3-mediated m6A modification in regulating the miR-23a-3p/SMAD5 axis and its impact on fracture healing, aiming to provide insights into potential therapeutic targets.

METHODS

Utilizing fracture-related datasets, we identified m6A modification-related mRNA and predicted miR-23a-3p as a regulator of SMAD5. We established a mouse fracture healing model and conducted experiments, including Micro-CT, RT-qPCR, Alizarin Red staining, and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, to assess gene expression and osteogenic differentiation.

RESULTS

IGFBP3 emerged as a crucial player in fracture healing, stabilizing miR-23a-3p through m6A modification, leading to SMAD5 downregulation. This, in turn, inhibited osteogenic differentiation and delayed fracture healing. Inhibition of IGFBP3 partially reversed through SMAD5 inhibition, restoring osteogenic differentiation and fracture healing in vivo.

CONCLUSION

The IGFBP3/miR-23a-3p/SMAD5 axis plays a pivotal role in fracture healing, highlighting the relevance of m6A modification. IGFBP3's role in stabilizing miR-23a-3p expression through m6A modification offers a potential therapeutic target for enhancing fracture healing outcomes.

H3K18 lactylation promotes the progression of arsenite-related idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis via YTHDF1/m6A/NREP

As epigenetic modifications, lactylation and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) have attracted wide attention. Arsenite is an environmental pollutant that has been proven to induce idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the molecular mechanisms of lactylation and m6A methylation are unclear in arsenite-related IPF (As-IPF). In view of the limited understanding of molecular mechanism of m6A and lactylation in As-IPF, MeRIP-seq, RNA-seq and ChIP-seq were analyzed to verify the target gene regulated by m6A and H3K18 lactylation (H3K18la). We found that, for As-IPF, the global levels of m6A, levels of YTHDF1 and m6A-modified neuronal protein 3.1 (NREP) were elevated in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). The secretion levels of TGF-β1 were increased via YTHDF1/m6A/NREP, which promoted the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT). Further, extracellular lactate from myofibroblasts elevated levels of the global lactylation (Kla) and H3K18la via the lactate monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), and, in AECs, H3K18la facilitated the transcription of Ythdf1. This report highlights the role of crosstalk between AECs and myofibroblasts via lactylation and m6A and the significance of H3K18la regulation of YTHDF1 in the progression of As-IPF, which may be useful for finding effective therapeutic targets.

Emerging roles and mechanism of m6A methylation in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifaceted autoimmune disease characterized by systemic inflammation, affecting both articular and extra-articular structures. This condition results in inflammation of joints and synovial membranes, accompanied by the development of systemic comorbidities. Despite extensive research, the precise pathogenic mechanisms responsible for RA have yet to be completely understood. RNA methylation, a burgeoning epigenetic alteration, assumes a pivotal function in the regulation of a myriad of biological phenomena, encompassing immunity, DNA damage response, tumorigenesis, metastasis, stem cell renewal, adipocyte differentiation, circadian rhythms, cellular development and differentiation, and cell division. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most prevalent among the various RNA modifications found in mammalian mRNA. Recent studies have provided evidence of the significant role played by m6A modification in the pathophysiological progression of RA. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the progress made in research focused on m6A modification in the context of RA, consolidate the underlying mechanisms involved in m6A modification during the initiation of RA and discuss the potential of targeting m6A modification as a viable therapeutic approach for RA.

IGF2BP3-mediated regulation of GLS and GLUD1 gene expression promotes treg-induced immune escape in human cervical cancer

This study aimed to investigate the impact of IGF2BP3, a well-known m6A modification-related protein, on the metabolic and immune microenvironment of human cervical cancer. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to analyze the expression of IGF2BP3 in various databases, and its findings were validated using human cervical cancer tissue microarrays. We conducted a study to investigate the impact of IGF2BP3 on glutamine metabolism in cervical cancer cells through the application of metabolomics and metabolic flow analysis. Additionally, we explored how cervical cancer cells promote immune escape by secreting glutamine-derived lactate in a 3D culture setting. To identify the specific targets of IGF2BP3 that influence glutamine metabolism in cervical cancer, we employed RIP-seq analysis. IGF2BP3 exhibited high expression levels in multiple cervical cancer datasets, and its expression was significantly associated with the prognosis of cervical cancer patients. In mixed 3D cell cultures of cervical cancer and T cells, IGF2BP3 was found to enhance glutamate and glutamine metabolism in cervical cancer cells by up regulating the expression of GLS and GLUD1 genes. Moreover, it influenced the differentiation of Treg cells by promoting lactate production and secretion in cervical cancer, leading to immune escape. Mechanistic analysis revealed that IGF2BP3 stabilized the mRNA of GLS and GLUD1 genes through m6A modification, thereby facilitating glutamate and glutamine metabolism in cervical cancer cells and regulating lactate production. Additionally, we investigated the correlation between GLS, GLUD1 protein expression, and IGF2BP3 expression in human cervical cancer through multicolor immunofluorescence staining. The relevance of IGF2BP3 in the context of Treg cell-associated immune escape in cervical cancer was also confirmed. IGF2BP3 exhibits high expression in human cervical cancer and plays a crucial role in stabilizing the mRNA of GLS and GLUD1 genes, key metabolic enzymes in glutamate and glutamine metabolism, through m6A modification. This process leads to immune escape in cervical cancer by promoting lactate production and secretion.

Downregulated M6A modification and expression of circRNA_103239 promoted the progression of glioma by regulating the miR-182-5p/MTSS1 signalling pathway

Glioma is a common type of tumor in the central nervous system, and the mortality is high. The prognosis of advanced glioma patients remains poor, and the therapeutic strategies need to be developed. The roles of circRNAs in glioma remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the functions circRNA_103239 in the biological behaviour changes of glioma cells. The expression of circRNA_103239 in clinical samples and glioma cells were examined using RT-qPCR. The targets of circRNA_103239 were predicted using bioinformatics approach. Gain- and loss-of-function study were carried out. The proliferation of transfected cells were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Migratory and invasive activities of the cells were examined using wound healing, colony formation and transwell assay. Tumor growth was also evaluated in vivo. The results indicated that the expression of circRNA_103239 was predominantly detected in the cytoplasma of glioma cells. In addition, the expression of circRNA_103239 was down-regulated in glioma, and up-regulated circRNA_103239 inhibited the progression of glioma. Furthermore, miR-182-5p was the novel target of circRNA_103239 in glioma, and MTSS1 was the putative downstream molecule of circRNA_103239/miR-182-5p axis. Additionally, circRNA_103239 suppressed the progression of glioma in a miR-182-5p/MTSS1 dependent manner. Moreover, circRNA_103239 inhibited tumour growth in vivo, and the expression of circRNA_103239 was regulated by METTL14-mediated m6A modification. In summary, in normal cells, METTL14 mediated the m6A modification and expression of circRNA_103239, which sponging miR-182-5p and inducing the expression of MTSS1, subsequently inhibiting the EMT; whereas in glioma cells, downregulated METTL14 induced downregulated m6A modification and expression of circRNA_103239, further resulting in the up-regulation of miR-182-5p and down-regulation of MTSS1, consequently promoting the EMT of glioma cells and triggering the progression of tumor.

m6A modification in inflammatory bowel disease provides new insights into clinical applications

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) results from a complex interplay between genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and gut microbes. The role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation in the pathogenesis of IBD has attracted increasing attention. m6A modification not only regulates intestinal mucosal immunity and intestinal barrier function, but also affects apoptosis and autophagy in intestinal epithelial cells. Additionally, m6A modification participated in the interaction between gut microbes and the host, providing a novel direction to explore the molecular mechanisms of IBD and the theoretical basis for specific microorganism-oriented prevention and treatment measures. m6A regulators are expected to be biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of IBD patients. m6A methylation may be utilized as a novel target in the management of IBD. This review focused on the recent advances in how m6A modification causes the initiation and development of IBD, and provided new insights into optimal prevention and treatment measures for IBD.

m6A Regulator-Based Methylation Modification Patterns Characterized by Distinct Tumor Microenvironment Immune Profiles in Rectal Cancer

Background

Previous studies reported the related role of RNA n6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in tumorigenesis and development. However, it is not clear whether m6A modification also plays a potential role in the immune regulation of rectal cancer (RC) and the formation of tumor microenvironment.

Methods

In this study, we screened 23 m6A regulatory factors from 369 rectal cancer specimens, further determined the modification patterns of m6A in RC, and systematically linked these modification patterns with the characteristics of TME cell infiltration. The principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm was used to evaluate the m6A modification pattern of a single tumor related to immune response.

Results

Three different m6A modification patterns were found in the measurement results, which are related to different clinical results and biological pathways. TME identification results show that the identified m6A pattern is closely related to immune characteristics. According to the m6Ascore extracted from m6A-related signature genes, RC patients were divided into high and low score subgroups combined with tumor mutation burden. Patients with high tumor mutation burden and higher m6Ascore have a significant survival advantage and enhanced immune infiltration. Further analysis showed that patients with higher m6Ascore had higher PD-L1 expression levels and showed better immune response and lasting clinical benefits.

Conclusions

M6A modification plays a crucial role in the formation of TME diversity and complexity. The evaluation of the m6A modification mode will help us to enhance our understanding of the characteristics of TME infiltration and provide new insights for more effective immunotherapy strategies.

The regulatory role of N6 -methyladenosine modification in the interaction between host and microbes

N⁶ -methyladenosine (m⁶ A) is the most prevalent posttranscriptional modification in eukaryotic mRNAs. Dynamic and reversible m⁶ A modification regulates gene expression to control cellular processes and diverse biological functions. Growing evidence indicated that m⁶ A modification is involved in the homeostasis of host and microbes (mostly viruses and bacteria). Disturbance of m⁶ A modification affects the life cycles of viruses and bacteria, however, these microbes could in turn change host m⁶ A modification leading to human disease including autoimmune diseases and cancer. Thus, we raise the concept that m⁶ A could be a "messenger" molecule to participate in the interactions between host and microbes. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of m⁶ A modification on viruses and commensal microbiota, highlight the roles of m⁶ A methylation in the interaction of host and microbes, and finally discuss drugs development targeting m⁶ A modification. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.

Comprehensive characterization of m6A methylation and its impact on prognosis, genome instability, and tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA regulation was recently reported to be important in carcinogenesis and cancer development. However, the characteristics of m6A modification and its correlations with clinical features, genome instability, tumor microenvironments (TMEs), and immunotherapy responses in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been fully explored.

Methods

We systematically analyzed the m6A regulator-based expression patterns of 486 patients with HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases, and correlated these patterns with clinical outcomes, somatic mutations, TME cell infiltration, and immunotherapy responses. The m6A score was developed by principal component analysis to evaluate m6A modifications in individual patients.

Results

M6A regulators were dysregulated in HCC samples, among which 18 m6A regulators were identified as risk factors for prognosis. Three m6A regulator-based expression patterns, namely m6A clusters, were determined among HCC patients by m6A regulators with different m6A scores, somatic mutation counts, and specific TME features. Additionally, three distinct m6A regulator-associated gene-based expression patterns were also identified based on prognosis-associated genes that were differentially expressed among the three m6A clusters, showing similar properties as the m6A regulator-based expression patterns. Higher m6A scores were correlated with older age, advanced stages, lower overall survival, higher somatic mutation counts, elevated PD-L1 expression levels, and poorer responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The m6A score was validated as an independent and valuable prognostic factor for HCC.

Conclusion

M6A modification is correlated with genome instability and TME in HCC. Evaluating m6A regulator-based expression patterns and the m6A score of individual tumors may help identify candidate biomarkers for prognosis prediction and immunotherapeutic strategy selection.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-022-01207-x.

Ethionine-mediated reduction of S-adenosylmethionine is responsible for the neural tube defects in the developing mouse embryo-mediated m6A modification and is involved in neural tube defects via modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Neural tube defects (NTDs) remain one of the most life-threatening birth defects affecting infants. Most patients with NTDs eventually develop lifelong disability, which cause significant morbidity and mortality and seriously reduce the quality of life. Our previous study has found that ethionine inhibits cell viability by disrupting the balance between proliferation and apoptosis, and preventing neural stem cells from differentiating into neurons and astrocytes. However, how ethionine participates in the pathogenesis of neural tube development through N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification remains unknown. This study aims to investigate METTL3- and ALKBH5-mediated m6A modification function and mechanism in NTDs. Herein, our results demonstrate that SAM play not only a compensatory role, it also leads to changes of m6A modification in neural tube development and regulation. Additionally, these data implicate that METTL3 is enriched in HT-22 cells, and METTL3 knockdown reduces cell proliferation and increases apoptosis through suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Significantly, overexpression of ALKBH5 can only inhibit cell proliferation, but cannot promote cell apoptosis. This research reveals an important role of SAM in development of NTDs, providing a good theoretical basis for further research on NTDs. This finding represents a novel epigenetic mechanism underlying that the m6A modification has profound and lasting implications for neural tube development.

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcriptome-wide m6A Methylome Upon Clostridium perfringens Beta2 Toxin Exposure in Porcine Intestinal Epithelial Cells by m6A Sequencing

Piglet diarrhea is a swine disease responsible for serious economic impacts in the pig industry. Clostridium perfringens beta2 toxin (CPB2), which is a major toxin of C. perfringens type C, may cause intestinal diseases in many domestic animals. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation plays critical roles in many immune and inflammatory diseases in livestock and other animals. However, the role of m6A methylation in porcine intestinal epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells exposed to CPB2 has not been studied. To address this issue, we treated IPEC-J2 cells with CPB2 toxin and then quantified methylation-related enzyme expression by RT-qPCR and assessed the m6A methylation status of the samples by colorimetric N6-methyladenosine quantification. The results showed that the methylation enzymes changed to varying degrees while the m6A methylation level increased (p < 0.01). On this basis, we performed N6-methyladenosine sequencing (m6A-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to examine the detailed m6A modifications and gene expression of the IPEC-J2 cells following CPB2 toxin exposure. Our results indicated that 1,448 m6A modification sites, including 437 up-regulated and 1,011 down-regulated, differed significantly between CPB2 toxin exposed cells and non-exposed cells (p < 0.05). KEGG pathway analysis results showed that m6A peaks up-regulated genes (n = 394) were mainly enriched in cancer, Cushing syndrome and Wnt signaling pathways, while m6A peaks down-regulated genes (n = 920) were mainly associated with apoptosis, small cell lung cancer, and the herpes simplex virus 1 infection signaling pathway. Furthermore, gene expression (RNA-seq data) analysis identified 1,636 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 1,094 were up-regulated and 542 were down-regulated in the toxin exposed group compared with the control group. In addition, the down-regulated genes were involved in the Hippo and Wnt signaling pathways. Interestingly, the combined results of m6A-seq and RNA-seq identified genes with up-regulated m6A peaks but with down-regulated expression, here referred to as "hyper-down" genes (n = 18), which were mainly enriched in the Wnt signaling pathway. Therefore, we speculate that the genes in the Wnt signaling pathway may be modified by m6A methylation in CPB2-induced IPEC-J2 cells. These findings provide new insights enabling further exploration of the mechanisms underlying piglet diarrhea caused by CPB2 toxin.

ALKBH5 promotes cadmium-induced transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells by regulating PTEN expression in an m6A-dependent manner

Cadmium is a carcinogenic heavy metal that poses a severe threat to human beings. The underlying mechanism, however, remains elusive. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant post-transcriptional modification in mRNA that regulates RNA metabolism. Emerging evidence shows that m6A is involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. In this study, human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells were transformed by exposing to 2 μM of cadmium for 20 weeks to investigate the role of m6A in cadmium carcinogenesis. We found the level of m6A in mRNA was significantly decreased in cadmium-transformed BEAS-2B cells, and this change was regulated by m6A demethylase ALKBH5. ALKBH5 was significantly upregulated in the middle and late stages of cell transformation at week 8, 12, 16 and 20. Knockdown of ALKBH5 in cadmium-transformed cells alleviated cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth, but co-transfection with ALKBH5 siRNA and PTEN siRNA restored the inhibitory effects of ALKBH5 knockdown on those transformation properties. ALKBH5 decreased the m6A level of PTEN mRNA, resulting in its instability and reduction of PTEN protein expression. These results indicate that ALKBH5-mediated demethylation m6A at PTEN mRNA is involved in cadmium-induced cell transformation. Our study provides a new perspective for the involvement of m6A modification in cadmium carcinogenesis.

Low expression of TRAF3IP2-AS1 promotes progression of NONO-TFE3 translocation renal cell carcinoma by stimulating N6-methyladenosine of PARP1 mRNA and downregulating PTEN

Background

NONO-TFE3 translocation renal cell carcinoma (NONO-TFE3 tRCC) is one subtype of RCCs associated with Xp11.2 translocation/TFE3 gene fusions RCC (Xp11.2 tRCCs). Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has attracted great attention in cancer research. The function and mechanisms of TRAF3IP2 antisense RNA 1 (TRAF3IP2-AS1), a natural antisense lncRNA, in NONO-TFE3 tRCC remain poorly understood.

Methods

FISH and qRT-PCR were undertaken to study the expression, localization and clinical significance of TRAF3IP2-AS1 in Xp11.2 tRCC tissues and cells. The functions of TRAF3IP2-AS1 in tRCC were investigated by proliferation analysis, EdU staining, colony and sphere formation assay, Transwell assay and apoptosis analysis. The regulatory mechanisms among TRAF3IP2-AS1, PARP1, PTEN and miR-200a-3p/153-3p/141-3p were investigated by luciferase assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

Results

The expression of TRAF3IP2-AS1 was suppressed by NONO-TFE3 fusion in NONO-TFE3 tRCC tissues and cells. Overexpression of TRAF3IP2-AS1 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of UOK109 cells which were derived from cancer tissue of patient with NONO-TFE3 tRCC. Mechanistic studies revealed that TRAF3IP2-AS1 accelerated the decay of PARP1 mRNA by direct binding and recruitment of N⁶-methyladenosie methyltransferase complex. Meanwhile, TRAF3IP2-AS1 competitively bound to miR-200a-3p/153-3p/141-3p and prevented those from decreasing the level of PTEN.

Conclusions

TRAF3IP2-AS1 functions as a tumor suppressor in NONO-TFE3 tRCC progression and may serve as a novel target for NONO-TFE3 tRCC therapy. TRAF3IP2-AS1 expression has the potential to serve as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NONO-TFE3 tRCC detection.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13045-021-01059-5.

Epigenetics-based therapeutics for myocardial fibrosis

Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is a reactive remodeling process in response to myocardial injury. It is mainly manifested by the proliferation of cardiac muscle fibroblasts and secreting extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins to replace damaged tissue. However, the excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix, and the rising proportion of type I and type III collagen lead to pathological fibrotic remodeling, thereby facilitating the development of cardiac dysfunction and eventually causing heart failure with heightened mortality. Currently, the molecular mechanisms of MF are still not fully understood. With the development of epigenetics, it is found that epigenetics controls the transcription of pro-fibrotic genes in MF by DNA methylation, histone modification and noncoding RNAs. In this review, we summarize and discuss the research progress of the mechanisms underlying MF from the perspective of epigenetics, including the newest m6A modification and crosstalk between different epigenetics in MF. We also offer a succinct overview of promising molecules targeting epigenetic regulators, which may provide novel therapeutic strategies against MF.

M6 A modification: A mechanism for protecting hematopoietic development in mammals

N⁶ -methyladenosine (m⁶ A) is one of the most common internal modifications in messenger RNA, which is necessary for cell physiological activities. A recent study shows that during mammalian hematopoietic development, loss of m⁶ A modification leads to the aberrant production of double-stranded RNA, which results in the abnormal activation of innate immune response, and ultimately leads to hematopoietic failure. Accordingly, m⁶ A modification provide us an attractive direction for us to understand mammalian hematopoietic development and innate immune response.

FTO - A Common Genetic Basis for Obesity and Cancer

In recent years, the prevalence of obesity and cancer have been rising. Since this poses a serious threat to human health, the relationship between the two has attracted much attention. This study examined whether fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) genes are linked, taking into account a Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) that revealed multiple single nucleotide polymorphism sites (SNPs) of the FTO gene, indicating an association between obesity and cancer in different populations. FTO proteins have been proved to participate in adipogenesis and tumorigenesis with post-transcriptional regulation of downstream molecular expression or through the target of the mammalian target protein rapamycin (mTOR). FTO inhibitors have also been found to share anti-obesity and anti-cancer effects in vivo. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the correlation between obesity and cancer by measuring FTO gene polymorphism, as well as the molecular mechanism involved in these diseases, emphasizing FTO as the common genetic basis of obesity and cancer.

The interplay between m6A RNA methylation and noncoding RNA in cancer

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, one of the most common RNA modifications, has been reported to execute important functions that affect normal life activities and diseases. Most studies have suggested that m6A modification can affect the complexity of cancer progression by regulating biological functions related to cancer. M6A modification of noncoding RNAs regulates the cleavage, transport, stability, and degradation of noncoding RNAs themselves. It also regulates cell proliferation and metastasis, stem cell differentiation, and homeostasis in cancer by affecting the biological function of cells. Interestingly, noncoding RNAs also play significant roles in regulating these m6A modifications. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly clear that m6A and noncoding RNAs potentially contribute to the clinical application of cancer treatment. In this review, we summarize the effect of the interactions between m6A modifications and noncoding RNAs on the biological functions involved in cancer progression. In particular, we discuss the role of m6A and noncoding RNAs as possible potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the treatment of cancers.