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Review
. 2018 Jul 13:6:89.
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00089. eCollection 2018.

Link Between m6A Modification and Cancers

Zhen-Xian Liu  1 , Li-Man Li  1 , Hui-Lung Sun  2 , Song-Mei Liu  1
Affiliations
Review

Link Between m6A Modification and Cancers

Zhen-Xian Liu et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. .

Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) epitranscriptional modification has recently gained much attention. Through the development of m6A sequencing, the molecular mechanism and importance of m6A have been revealed. m6A is the most abundant internal modification in higher eukaryotic mRNAs, which plays crucial roles in mRNA metabolism and multiple biological processes. In this review, we introduce the characteristics of m6A regulators, including "writers" that create m6A mark, "erasers" that show demethylation activity and "readers" that decode m6A modification to govern the fate of modified transcripts. Moreover, we highlight the roles of m6A modification in several common cancers, including solid and non-solid tumors. The regulators of m6A exert enormous functions in cancer development, such as proliferation, migration and invasion. Especially, with the underlying mechanisms being uncovered, m6A and its regulators are expected to be the targets for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

Keywords: cancers; function; m6A; mRNA; structures.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The establishment and function of m6A RNA methylation. The m6A of RNA methylation is dynamically regulated by “writers” (METTL3, METTL14, WTAP, and others) and “erasers” (FTO and ALKBH5). “readers” (YTHDF1, YTHDF2, YTHFDF3, YTHDC1, and YTHDC2) are binding proteins of m6A. Different regulators of m6A have different functions on transcriptional process, including splicing, export, translation, and stability.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The roles of m6A regulatory proteins in AML.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The roles of m6A regulatory proteins in GBM.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The roles of m6A regulatory proteins in different cancers, including lung cancer, NSCLC, HCC, CCA, breast cancer, RCC, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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