Editorial: RNA and RNA modification in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of cancers, Volume II

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic RNA and RNA modification in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of cancers, Volume II This Research Topic "RNA and RNA modification in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers volume II" focuses on the areas of RNA in cancer development, prognosis, and molecular signaling pathway. We selected seven manuscripts consisting of two review papers and five research papers aimed at introducing the latest findings in both basic research and clinical application in these research areas.N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has been found in almost all cellular transcripts as the most abundant internal modification of RNA (1). The review by Liu et al. indicated the recent studies on m6A regulated by the m6A "writers" (m6A methyltransferases), m6A "erasers" (m6A demethylases), and m6A "readers" (m6Abinding proteins). m6A modification could affect the stability of RNA base pairing and control RNA splicing, exportation, and translation. "Writers" are composed of methyltransferase complexes, such as methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14), and METTL16, a newly discovered m6A writer and reader. As "erasers," FTO, ALKBH5, and ALKBH3 can selectively remove methylation of m6A in RNA, while YTH, HNRNPs, eIF3, and IGF2BPs can specifically decode m6Amodified targeted RNA for the m6A group to trigger biological functions as "readers." Since m6A has a key role in chromatin remodeling involved in almost all RNA metabolism, the alterations in "writers, erasers, and readers" eventually participate in different cellular biological processes including signaling pathway transduction, cell malignancy biology, hematopoietic function, and immunity, thus the dysregulation of m6A associated with cancer occurrence, metastasis, tumor self-renewal capacity, cancer metabolic reprogramming, drug resistance generation, and tumor immune microenvironment.Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors with a high mortality worldwide (2). As shown above, METTL3 is an important m6A methylation modification gene facilitating tumor progression which promotes tumor proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, Frontiers in Oncology frontiersin.org 01