Targeting RNA modifications with pharmacological agents: New frontiers in cancer therapy

• Published in: Cancer medicine (Malden, MA) Vol. 13; no. 7; pp. e6989 - n/a
• Main Authors: Guan, Angel, Wong, Justin J.‐L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.04.2024; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adenosine - therapeutic use; Breast cancer; cancer; Cancer therapies; cancer therapy; Cell cycle; chemoresistance; DNA repair; Efficiency; Gene expression; Genes; Glioma; Growth factors; Homeostasis; Humans; Medical prognosis; Metabolism; Metastasis; MicroRNAs; N6-methyladenosine; N6‐methyladenosine (m6A); Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - genetics; Physiology; Proteins; Radiation therapy; Review; Reviews; RNA - genetics; RNA Methylation; RNA modification; Roles; Therapeutic targets; Writers; N6‐methyladenosine (m6A); RNA modification; cancer therapy; chemoresistance; cancer
• ISSN: 2045-7634; 2045-7634
• DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6989

The N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification has gained significant prominence as a new layer of regulatory mechanism that governs gene expression. Over the past decade, various m6A regulators responsible for introducing, eliminating, and recognising RNA methylation have been identified. Notably, these m6A regulators often exhibit altered expression patterns in cancer, occasionally offering prognostic value. Nonetheless, the complex roles of these regulators in human cancer pathology remain enigmatic, with conflicting outcomes reported in different studies.In recent years, a multitude of inhibitors and activators targeting m6A regulators have been reported. Several of these compounds have demonstrated promising efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo cancer models. These findings collectively underscore the dynamic landscape of m6A regulation in cancer biology, revealing its potential as a therapeutic target and prognostic indicator. The m6A methylation is catalysed by the writer complex and the demethylation is catalysed by the erasers. Different readers proteins determine the fate of m6A modification. These proteins have increasingly been recognised as targets for cancer therapy.