Batool Syeda Maheen, Lee Hanna, Muralidharan Koushik, Khan Saad Murtaza, Escobedo Ana K, Gashi Denalda, Faber Kesli, Ekanayake Emil, Hsia Tiffaney, Al-Inaya Yana, Kosgi Aishwarya, Miller Julie J, Cahill Daniel P, Dunn Gavin P, Choi Bryan D, Petti Allegra S, Carter Bob S, Balaj Leonora
Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Translational Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
medRxiv. 2025 Aug 19:2024.09.24.24314089. doi: 10.1101/2024.09.24.24314089.
Gliomas are biologically heterogeneous brain tumors with marked differences in clinical behavior based on the IDH1 mutation status. While epigenetic dysregulation is well characterized, the contribution of RNA modifications, particularly N6-methyladenosine (m6A), remains underexplored. Using direct RNA nanopore sequencing of patient-derived gliomas, we generated the first isoform-resolved m6A maps across IDH1-mutant and wild-type tumors. IDH1-mutant gliomas exhibited globally elevated m6A methylation, along with increased expression of methyltransferases (METTL3, METTL14) and stabilizing readers (YTHDF3). In contrast, wild-type glioblastomas showed enhanced expression of m6A erasers (ALKBH5, FTO) and RNA decay factors (YTHDF2). These subtype-specific differences in m6A architecture impacted transcript stability, isoform usage, and gene expression. Isoform-level analyses revealed stronger prognostic associations than gene-level parameter, including for IGF2BP2-202, PUF60-202, and GLUL-203. Our study establishes m6A as a critical, subtype-specific layer of RNA regulation in glioma with clinical and therapeutic implications.
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