N6-methyladenosine-dependent signalling in cancer progression and insights into cancer therapies

The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is a dynamic and reversible epigenetic modification, which is co-transcriptionally deposited by a methyltransferase complex, removed by a demethylase, and recognized by reader proteins. Mechanistically, m6A modification regulates the expression levels of mRNA and nocoding RNA by modulating the fate of modified RNA molecules, such as RNA splicing, nuclear transport, translation, and stability. Several studies have shown that m6A modification is dysregulated in the progression of multiple diseases, especially human tumors. We emphasized that the dysregulation of m6A modification affects different signal transduction pathways and involves in the biological processes underlying tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration, and metabolic reprogramming, and discuss the effects on different cancer treatment.

Automated summary

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is a reversible epigenetic modification that regulates the expression levels of mRNA and noncoding RNA by modulating the fate of RNA molecules. Dysregulation of m6A modification, especially in human tumors, affects different signal transduction pathways and is involved in biological processes of tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and metabolic reprogramming.