N6-Methyladenosine Regulates the Expression and Secretion of TGF?1 to Affect the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Cancer Cells.

ABSTRACT: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant modification on eukaryotic mRNA, which regulates all steps of the mRNA life cycle. An increasing number of studies have shown that m6A methylation plays essential roles in tumor development. However, the relationship between m6A and the progression of cancers remains to be explored. Here, we reported that transforming growth factor-? (TGF?1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was inhibited in methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) knockdown (Mettl3Mut/-) cells. The expression of TGF?1 was up-regulated, while self-stimulated expression of TGF?1 was suppressed in Mettl3Mut/- cells. We further revealed that m6A promoted TGFB1 mRNA decay, but impaired TGFB1 translation progress. Besides this, the autocrine of TGF?1 was disrupted in Mettl3Mut/- cells via interrupting TGF?1 dimer formation. Lastly, we found that Snail, which was down-regulated in Mettl3Mut/- cells, was a key factor responding to TGF?1-induced EMT. Together, our research demonstrated that m6A performed multi-functional roles in TGF?1 expression and EMT modulation, suggesting the critical roles of m6A in cancer progression regulation.

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7072279 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature