Crosstalk among m6A RNA methylation, hypoxia and metabolic reprogramming in TME: from immunosuppressive microenvironment to clinical application

• Published in: Journal of hematology and oncology Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 1 - 84
• Main Authors: Zhang, Fusheng, Liu, Haiyang, Duan, Meiqi, Wang, Guang, Zhang, Zhenghou, Wang, Yutian, Qian, Yiping, Yang, Zhi, Jiang, Xiaofeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central Ltd 06.07.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Apoptosis; B cells; Cell growth; Cytokines; Development and progression; DNA methylation; Drug resistance; Ecosystems; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Exosomes; Feedback; Hematology; Homeostasis; Hypoxia; Immune escape; Immunosuppression; Immunotherapy; Liver cancer; Metabolism; Metastases; Metastasis; Methylation; Methyltransferases; N6-methyladenosine; Oncology; Physiological aspects; Protein transport; Proteins; Regulation; Review; RNA; Tumor biological functions; Tumor combination therapy; Tumor metabolism; Tumor microenvironment; Tumorigenesis; Tumors
• ISSN: 1756-8722; 1756-8722
• DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01304-5

The tumor microenvironment (TME), which is regulated by intrinsic oncogenic mechanisms and epigenetic modifications, has become a research hotspot in recent years. Characteristic features of TME include hypoxia, metabolic dysregulation, and immunosuppression. One of the most common RNA modifications, N6-methyladenosine (m.sup.6A) methylation, is widely involved in the regulation of physiological and pathological processes, including tumor development. Compelling evidence indicates that m.sup.6A methylation regulates transcription and protein expression through shearing, export, translation, and processing, thereby participating in the dynamic evolution of TME. Specifically, m.sup.6A methylation-mediated adaptation to hypoxia, metabolic dysregulation, and phenotypic shift of immune cells synergistically promote the formation of an immunosuppressive TME that supports tumor proliferation and metastasis. In this review, we have focused on the involvement of m.sup.6A methylation in the dynamic evolution of tumor-adaptive TME and described the detailed mechanisms linking m.sup.6A methylation to change in tumor cell biological functions. In view of the collective data, we advocate treating TME as a complete ecosystem in which components crosstalk with each other to synergistically achieve tumor adaptive changes. Finally, we describe the potential utility of m.sup.6A methylation-targeted therapies and tumor immunotherapy in clinical applications and the challenges faced, with the aim of advancing m.sup.6A methylation research. Keywords: Hypoxia, Tumor metabolism, Exosomes, Immune escape, Tumor biological functions, Tumor combination therapy