Advances in the functional roles of N6-methyladenosine modification in cancer progression: mechanisms and clinical implications.

N-methyladenosine (mA), the methylation targeting the N position of adenosine, is the most common internal modification of mRNA in eukaryotes. Considering the roles of mA in regulating gene expression, the investigation of mA roles in the biological processes including cell renewal, differentiation, apoptosis, and invasion of cancer cells has become a hot research topic. There are three kinds of protein involved in mA regulation. The methyltransferases and demethylases cooperatively regulate the mA levels, while the mA reading proteins recognize the mA sites and mediate multiple mA-dependent biological functions including mRNA splicing, transfer, translation, and degradation. At present, a large number of studies have found that the changes of mA levels in tumor cells play a very important role in the occurrence and development of tumors, as well as metastasis and invasion of tumor cells. This review summarizes the different roles of mA modification in the occurrence and development of various cancers, and discusses the possibility of choosing the mA related proteins as potential therapeutic targets.