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Review
. 2021 May 19:11:683768.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.683768. eCollection 2021.

Regulatory Role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) Modification in Osteosarcoma

Yujie Zhang  1 , Yanyan Wang  2 , Liwei Ying  1 , Sifeng Tao  2 , Mingmin Shi  1 , Peng Lin  1 , Yangxin Wang  1 , Bin Han  1
Affiliations
Review

Regulatory Role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) Modification in Osteosarcoma

Yujie Zhang et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy, typically occurring in childhood or adolescence. Unfortunately, the clinical outcomes of patients with osteosarcoma are usually poor because of the aggressive nature of this disease and few treatment advances in the past four decades. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most extensive forms of RNA modification in eukaryotes found both in coding and non-coding RNAs. Accumulating evidence suggests that m6A-related factors are dysregulated in multiple osteosarcoma processes. In this review, we highlight m6A modification implicated in osteosarcoma, describing its pathophysiological role and molecular mechanism, as well as future research trends and potential clinical application in osteosarcoma.

Keywords: N6-methyladenosine (m6A); biomarker; molecular mechanisms; osteosarcoma; therapeutic target.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The molecular mechanism of m6A modification. It is a dynamic and reversible epigenetic modification that is regulated by “writers” and “erasers.” m6A markers in the RNA can be recognized by “readers”.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The life cycle of m6A mRNA. First, m6A writers and erasers regulate the change of m6A during transcription in the nucleus. After that, m6A can bind to specific nuclear readers, and influence mRNA splicing, exporting, and other bioprocesses. Then, m6A is exported to the cytoplasm where it binds to cytoplasm readers and influences mRNA decay, translation, and stabilization.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The pathophysiological roles and molecular mechanism of m6A modification in osteosarcoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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