Fan Bin, Chen Gangxian, Huang Shuyi, Li Ying, Nabil Zia Ul Haq, Yang Zuozhang
Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors Research Centre of Yunnan Province, Department of Orthopaedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025 Apr 9;13:1507171. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1507171. eCollection 2025.
The most common form of internal RNA modification in eukaryotes is called n6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation. It has become more and more well-known as a research issue in recent years since it alters RNA metabolism and is involved in numerous biological processes. Currently, m6A alteration offers new opportunities in clinical applications and is intimately linked to carcinogenesis. Ferroptosis-a form of iron-dependent, lipid peroxidation-induced regulated cell death-was discovered. In the development of cancer, it has become an important factor. According to newly available data, ferroptosis regulates tumor growth, and cancer exhibits aberrant m6A levels in crucial ferroptosis regulatory components. On the other hand, m6A has multiple roles in the development of tumors, and the relationship between m6A-modified ferroptosis and malignancies is quite intricate. In this review, we first give a thorough review of the regulatory and functional roles of m6A methylation, focusing on the molecular processes of m6A through the regulation of ferroptosis in human cancer progression and metastasis, which are strongly associated to cancer initiation, progression, and drug resistance. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the relationship between m6A-mediated regulation of ferroptosis in cancer progression, providing a new strategy for cancer treatment with substantial clinical implications.
真核生物中最常见的内部RNA修饰形式称为N6-甲基腺苷(m6A)甲基化。近年来,它作为一个研究课题越来越为人所知,因为它会改变RNA代谢并参与众多生物过程。目前,m6A改变在临床应用中提供了新的机会,并且与肿瘤发生密切相关。铁死亡——一种铁依赖性、脂质过氧化诱导的程序性细胞死亡形式——被发现。在癌症发展过程中,它已成为一个重要因素。根据最新数据,铁死亡调节肿瘤生长,并且癌症在关键的铁死亡调节成分中表现出异常的m6A水平。另一方面,m6A在肿瘤发展中具有多种作用,并且m6A修饰的铁死亡与恶性肿瘤之间的关系相当复杂。在这篇综述中,我们首先全面回顾m6A甲基化的调节和功能作用,重点关注m6A通过调节铁死亡在人类癌症进展和转移中的分子过程,这些过程与癌症的发生、发展和耐药性密切相关。因此,阐明m6A介导的铁死亡调节与癌症进展之间的关系至关重要,这为具有重大临床意义的癌症治疗提供了新策略。