【Abstract】
Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent RNA epigenetic regulation in eukaryotic cells. However, understanding of m6A in colorectal cancer (CRC) is very limited. We designed this study to investigate the role of m6A in CRC.
Methods: Expression level of METTL14 was extracted from public database and tissue array to investigate the clinical relevance of METTL14 in CRC. Next, gain/loss of function experiment was used to define the role of METTL14 in the progression of CRC. Moreover, transcriptomic sequencing (RNA-seq) was applied to screen the potential targets of METTL14. The specific binding between METTL14 and presumed target was verified by RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Furthermore, rescue experiment and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP) were performed to uncover the mechanism.
Results: Clinically, loss of METTL14 correlated with unfavorable prognosis of CRC patients. Functionally, knockdown of METTL14 drastically enhanced proliferative and invasive ability of CRC cells in vitro and promoted tumorigenicity and metastasis in vivo. Mechanically, RNA-seq and Me-RIP identified lncRNA XIST as the downstream target of METTL14. Knockdown of METTL14 substantially abolished m6A level of XIST and augmented XIST expression. Moreover, we found that m6A-methylated XIST was recognized by YTHDF2, a m6A reader protein, to mediate the degradation of XIST. Consistently, XIST expression negatively correlated with METTL14 and YTHDF2 in CRC tissues.
Conclusion: Our findings highlight the function and prognostic value of METTL14 in CRC and extend the understanding of the importance of RNA epigenetics in cancer biology.
【中文摘要】
背景:6-甲基腺嘌呤(N6-methyladenosine,m6A)是真核細胞中最主要的mRNA修飾。然而,m6A調控結直腸癌(Colorectal cancer, CRC)發生發展的具體機制仍有待深入探索。在本研究中,我們具體探討了m6A在結直腸癌中的功能和機制。
方法:通過生物資料庫及本中心組織晶片研究METTL14在結直腸癌中的表達及臨床意義;通過過表達/沉默技術,研究METTL14在CRC細胞中的功能;通過RNA-Seq技術探索METTL14潛在下遊靶標;通過RNA pull-down及RIP技術驗證METTL14與下遊靶標的相互作用;通過「挽救」實驗及Me-RIP技術進一步探討了相關機制。
結果:臨床分析結果顯示,相比於METTL14高表達的患者,低表達METTL14患者預後明顯更差;通過細胞和動物實驗中,沉默METTL14可顯著促進CRC細胞的增殖和轉移能力;在機制方面,RNA-seq and Me-RIP結果顯示:長鏈非編碼RNA XIST (lncRNA XIST)是METTL14的下遊蛋白;沉默METTL14後有效抑制了lncRNA XIST 的m6A甲基化修飾水平,進而促進XIST表達;後續發現m6A結合蛋白YTHDF2可通過識別XIST的m6A甲基化位點使之降解;與體外實驗相一致;臨床數據結果顯示lncRNA XIST與METTL14和YTHDF2呈負相關。
結論:本研究結果證明了METTL14在CRC中的功能和預後價值,並進一步擴展了對RNA表觀遺傳學在癌症生物學中重要性的理解。