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Overview of m6A and circRNAs in human cancers

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Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the richest post-transcriptional modification of RNA in eukaryotic cells, is dynamically installed/uninstalled by the RNA methylase complex (“writer”) and demethylase (“eraser”) and recognized by the m6A-binding protein (“reader”). M6A modification on RNA metabolism involves maturation, nuclear export, translation and splicing, thereby playing a critical role in cellular pathophysiology and disease processes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs with a covalently closed loop structure. Due to its conserved and stable properties, circRNAs could participate in physiological and pathological processes through unique pathways. Despite the recent discovery of m6A and circRNAs remains in the initial stage, research has shown that m6A modifications are widespread in circRNAs and regulates circRNA metabolism, including biogenesis, cell localization, translation, and degradation. In this review, we describe the functional crosstalk between m6A and circRNAs, and illustrate their roles in cancer development. Moreover, we discuss the potential mechanisms and future research directions of m6A modification and circRNAs.

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Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82002889).

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  1. The School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China

    Leyu Zhang, Xi Wang, Wei Zhao & Jingwen Liu

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  1. Leyu Zhang
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  2. Xi Wang
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  3. Wei Zhao
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Leyu Zhang consulted relevant literature and write the paper. Jingwen Liu and Xi Wang acted as the assists. Wei Zhao is responsible for the designing and funding. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Zhang, L., Wang, X., Zhao, W. et al. Overview of m6A and circRNAs in human cancers. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 149, 6769–6784 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-04610-8

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