Comprehensive analysis of N6-methylandenosine regulators and m6A-related RNAs as prognosis factors in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and has been a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide in recent years. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is the most abundant epigenetic modification of various types of RNAs, and it plays a vital role in promoting cancer development. Here, we obtained SNV and transcriptome data of CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We demonstrated that most m6A methylation regulators were aberrantly expressed in individuals with CRC. The abnormal expression of m6A regulators was caused by their different copy number variation (CNV) patterns, and alteration of m6A regulators was significantly correlated with prognosis and tumor stage. By using weighted coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified m6A-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs; then we used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis to construct m6A-related lncRNA and mRNA prognostic signatures in the TCGA dataset. Furthermore, a nomogram with clinicopathological features, lncRNA risk scores, and mRNA risk scores was established, which showed a strong ability to forecast the overall survival of the individuals with CRC in training and testing sets. In conclusion, m6A methylation regulators played a vital role in affecting the prognosis of subjects with CRC, and m6A-related lncRNAs and mRNAs revealed underlying mechanisms in CRC tumorigenesis and progression.

Prognostic Signature and Therapeutic Value Based on Membrane Lipid Biosynthesis-Related Genes in Breast Cancer

“…As a computer science and high-throughput sequencing technology developed, bioinformatic analysis can provide researchers with more opportunities to explore the genetic risk, regulatory mechanism, and protein function of cancer. As a highly representative bioinformatics database, the TCGA database is generated by large-scale gene sequencing, which can quantitatively study and analyze the changes in gene expression during tumor occurrence and development [ 24 , 25 ]. Therefore, in this study, we performed a series of in-depth explorations of membrane lipid biosynthesis in BRCA based on the TCGA database using multiple bioinformatic analyses.…”

Analysis of LINC01314 and miR-96 Expression in Colorectal Cancer Patients via Tissue Microarray-Based Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

“…N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is among the most ubiquitous epigenetic modifications of mRNAs and noncoding RNAs (e.g., miRNAs and lncRNAs) [45]. Overwhelming evidence indicates that the dysregulation of m6A modification is significantly correlated with CRC tumorigenesis and progression [46,47]. lncRNAs and miRNAs are not only important targets of m6A modification regulators; they also regulate m6A modification [48,49].…”

A novel cervix carcinoma biomarker: Pathological-epigenomics, integrated analysis of MethylMix algorithm and pathology for predicting response to cancer immunotherapy

“…As such, there is an urgent Numerous recent studies have demonstrated that hypomethylation results in gene overexpression, whereas hypermethylation causes low gene expression, which plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of various tumors (25,26). It is possible that abnormally methylated genes can cause gene expression disorders, transcriptional disorders, and abnormal differentiation of cells (27). Jiao et al previously provided evidence that SEPT9 methylation may be a biomarker for the diagnosis of cervical cancer, which functions by promoting tumorigenesis and radiation resistance of cervical cancer by targeting the HMGB1-Rb axis, and induces macrophage polarization by mediating Mir-375.…”

“…Numerous recent studies have demonstrated that hypomethylation results in gene overexpression, whereas hypermethylation causes low gene expression, which plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of various tumors ( 25 , 26 ). It is possible that abnormally methylated genes can cause gene expression disorders, transcriptional disorders, and abnormal differentiation of cells ( 27 ). Jiao et al.…”