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Review
. 2020 Nov;53(11):e12921.
doi: 10.1111/cpr.12921. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

N6 -methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification in human cancer

Fu-Chun Huo  1 , Zhi-Man Zhu  1 , Dong-Sheng Pei  1
Affiliations
Review

N6 -methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification in human cancer

Fu-Chun Huo et al. Cell Prolif. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) RNA modification, first discovered in 1974, is the most prevalent, abundant and penetrating messenger RNA (mRNA) modification in eukaryotes. This governs the fate of modified transcripts, regulates RNA metabolism and biological processes, and participates in pathogenesis of numerous human diseases, especially in cancer through the reciprocal regulation of m6 A methyltransferases ("writers") and demethylases ("erasers") and the binding proteins decoding m6 A methylation ("readers"). Accumulating evidence indicates a complicated regulation network of m6 A modification involving multiple m6 A-associated regulatory proteins whose biological functions have been further analysed. This review aimed to summarize the current knowledge on the potential significance and molecular mechanisms of m6 A RNA modification in the initiation and progression of cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification in human cancer. m6A modification is a dynamic and reversible process. m6A methylation is catalysed by methyltransferase complex (writers), reversed by demethylases (erasers) and functionally facilitated by m6A‐binding proteins (readers). m6A methylation participates in carcinogenesis and tumour progression
Figure 2
Figure 2
Multiple mechanisms of m6A regulators in cancer. Abnormal expression of m6A writers, erasers and readers has multiple roles in various types of cancers
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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