Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Laboratory of the Key Perinatal Diseases, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
FASEB J. 2024 Nov 30;38(22):e70154. doi: 10.1096/fj.202401665R.
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) increases the risk of short-term and long-term complications. Widespread N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications on mRNAs have been found to be involved in various biological processes. However, the role of m6A modification in the pathogenesis of FGR remains elusive. Here, we report that elevated levels of METTL3 and m6A modification were detected in FGR placentae. Functionally, cell migration, invasion, and proliferation abilities were suppressed after METTL3 overexpression in HTR8/SVneo cells. Subsequently, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of METTL3-knockdown HTR8/SVneo cells were utilized together to identify FOSL1 as the downstream target genes of METTL3. Furthermore, we illustrated that METTL3-mediated m6A modification enhanced the expression of FOSL1 in a IGF2BP2 dependent manner. FOSL1 inhibited trophoblast invasion and migration. Importantly, STM2457, a novel METTL3 catalytic inhibitor, was intravenously administered to FGR mice models, which restore fetal and placental weights in vivo. In vitro STM2457 regulated trophoblast proliferation, invasion, and migration in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, this study reveals that METTL3 and IGF2BP2 increase FOSL1 expression in an m6A-dependent manner. The increase of FOSL1disrupts normal trophoblast invasion, which results in the progression of FGR. METTL3 can serve as a potential target for FGR therapy.
胎儿生长受限(FGR)增加了短期和长期并发症的风险。已经发现广泛存在的 mRNA 上的 N6-甲基腺苷(m6A)修饰参与了各种生物学过程。然而,m6A 修饰在 FGR 发病机制中的作用仍不清楚。在这里,我们报告在 FGR 胎盘组织中检测到 METTL3 和 m6A 修饰水平升高。功能上,在 HTR8/SVneo 细胞中转染 METTL3 后,细胞迁移、侵袭和增殖能力受到抑制。随后,利用 METTL3 敲低 HTR8/SVneo 细胞的甲基化 RNA 免疫沉淀测序(MeRIP-seq)和 RNA 测序(RNA-seq)共同鉴定出 FOSL1 是 METTL3 的下游靶基因。此外,我们表明 METTL3 介导的 m6A 修饰增强了 IGF2BP2 依赖性的 FOSL1 表达。FOSL1 抑制滋养细胞的侵袭和迁移。重要的是,静脉给予 FGR 小鼠模型新型 METTL3 催化抑制剂 STM2457,可恢复体内胎儿和胎盘重量。体外 STM2457 以剂量依赖的方式调节滋养细胞的增殖、侵袭和迁移。总之,本研究揭示了 METTL3 和 IGF2BP2 通过 m6A 依赖性方式增加 FOSL1 的表达。FOSL1 的增加扰乱了正常的滋养细胞侵袭,导致 FGR 的进展。METTL3 可作为治疗 FGR 的潜在靶点。