METTL3 enhances the stability of MALAT1 with the assistance of HuR via m6A modification and activates NF-κB to promote the malignant progression of IDH-wildtype glioma

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 511; pp. 36 - 46
• Main Authors: Chang, Yu-Zhou, Chai, Rui-Chao, Pang, Bo, Chang, Xin, An, Song Yuan, Zhang, Ke-Nan, Jiang, Tao, Wang, Yong-Zhi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 28.07.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adenosine - analogs & derivatives; Adenosine - metabolism; Animals; Antibodies; Brain Neoplasms - genetics; Brain Neoplasms - metabolism; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Carcinogenesis; Cell cycle; Cell growth; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation - physiology; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Progression; DNA methylation; ELAV-Like Protein 1 - metabolism; Epigenetics; Female; Flow cytometry; Fluorides; Gene expression; Genomes; Glioma; Glioma - genetics; Glioma - metabolism; Glioma - pathology; Heterografts; Humans; HuR protein; Isocitrate Dehydrogenase - genetics; Isocitrate Dehydrogenase - metabolism; Laboratories; LncRNA; Medical prognosis; Methyltransferases - metabolism; METTL3; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; N6-methyladenosine; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB; NF-κB protein; Penicillin; Proteins; RNA modification; RNA, Long Noncoding - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Stem cells; Tumorigenesis; Beijing China; United States > US; China; PBS; RNA modification; CGGA; CST; METTL3; LncRNA; CNS; pp65; PVDF; TCGA; NF-κB; SDS-PAGE; GBM; Glioma; m6A; CCK-8; qPCR; GSCs
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.04.020

Understanding the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in tumorigenesis and stem cell maintenance is an emerging field in glioma research. However, it is necessary to study the function of m6A in IDH-mutation and IDH-wildtype gliomas separately. Here, we aimed to elucidate the role and mechanism of the m6A writer METTL3 in regulating the malignant progression of IDH-wildtype gliomas. We demonstrated that METTL3 expression is positively associated with a higher malignant grade and poorer prognosis of IDH-wildtype gliomas but not IDH-mutant gliomas. METTL3 could also promote the malignant progression of gliomas in both in vitro and in vivo models. Mechanistically, METTL3 upregulated MALAT1 expression by enhancing its stability via m6A modification. We further revealed that HuR was essential for METTL3-mediated MALAT1 stabilization, and upregulated MALAT1 subsequently activated NF-κB. Taken together, our findings confirmed that METTL3 promoted the malignant progression of IDH-wildtype gliomas and revealed important insight into the upstream regulatory mechanism of MALAT1 and NF-κB with a primary focus on m6A modification. •METTL3 plays an oncogenic role in IDH-wildtype gliomas.•METTL3 enhances MALAT1 RNA stabilization via m6A.•HuR is essential for METTL3-mediated MALAT1 RNA stabilization.•MALAT1 activates NF-κB.