Zhou Mengying, Dong Menglu, Yang Xue, Gong Jun, Liao Xinghua, Zhang Qi, Liu Zeming
Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Front Genet. 2022 Aug 10;13:983564. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.983564. eCollection 2022.
Breast cancer (BC) has continued to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, accompanied by highly molecular heterogeneity. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a methylation that happens on adenosine N6, is the most abundant internal mRNA modification type in eukaryotic cells. Functionally, m6A methylation is a reversible modification process and is regulated by 3 enzymes with different functions, namely "writer", "reader", and "eraser". Abnormal m6A modifications trigger the expression, activation, or inhibition of key signaling molecules in critical signaling pathways and the regulatory factors acting on them in BC. These m6A-related enzymes can not only be used as markers for accurate diagnosis, prediction of prognosis, and risk model construction, but also as effective targets for BC treatment. Here, we have emphasized the roles of different types of m6A-related enzymes reported in BC proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, as well as immune regulation. The comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the molecular mechanisms related to m6A will benefit in finding effective potential targets and effective stratified management of BC.
乳腺癌(BC)仍然是女性癌症死亡的主要原因,同时伴有高度的分子异质性。N6-甲基腺苷(m6A)是发生在腺苷N6位的一种甲基化修饰,是真核细胞中最丰富的内部mRNA修饰类型。在功能上,m6A甲基化是一个可逆的修饰过程,由3种功能不同的酶调控,即“书写器”“阅读器”和“擦除器”。m6A修饰异常会触发BC关键信号通路中关键信号分子的表达、激活或抑制以及作用于它们的调控因子。这些与m6A相关的酶不仅可以作为准确诊断、预后预测和风险模型构建的标志物,还可以作为BC治疗的有效靶点。在此,我们着重阐述了不同类型的与m6A相关的酶在BC增殖、侵袭、转移以及免疫调节方面所发挥的作用。对与m6A相关分子机制进行全面深入的探索将有助于找到有效的潜在靶点并对BC进行有效的分层管理。