June 2025 — Cell Investigation has published an important review article authored by Professor Zhenhua Chen's team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, in collaboration with scholars from the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, USA. The review, titled "RNA m6A Modification: A Key Regulator in Normal and Malignant Processes," provides a comprehensive overview of the core roles of RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in various biological processes and focuses on its potential mechanisms in tumorigenesis and clinical applications.
As one of the most common mRNA modifications, m6A has been shown to regulate several aspects of RNA biology, including splicing, export, stability, and translation efficiency. This modification is orchestrated by a set of coordinated "writers," "erasers," and "readers." In recent years, with the advancement of high-throughput sequencing technologies, scientists have been able to precisely map the distribution and functions of m6A modifications at the cellular level, revealing its profound impacts on processes such as embryonic development, immune regulation, stress responses, and tumor biology.
The article particularly emphasizes the distinct roles of m6A recognition proteins, such as the YTHDF and IGF2BP families, which can either promote mRNA degradation or stabilization, thereby exerting opposite regulatory effects on gene expression. In the tumor microenvironment, this regulation becomes even more complex, as m6A modification can influence the expression of key oncogenes or tumor suppressors, affecting cancer cell proliferation, migration, immune evasion, and drug resistance.
Beyond biological mechanisms, the article also discusses the current challenges in the field, such as improving the detection accuracy of m6A modification sites and clarifying the tissue-specific roles of different m6A regulatory factors. At the same time, the authors explore the broad clinical prospects of m6A modification, particularly its potential applications in cancer diagnosis, prognosis assessment, and targeted therapy, suggesting that it could become a hot topic in epigenetic therapy, following DNA methylation and histone modifications.
The publication of this review not only provides a systematic and cutting-edge knowledge framework for researchers in the RNA modification field but also offers important references for future explorations of targeted m6A regulation strategies in diseases. It marks a significant step forward in transitioning research from basic mechanisms to clinical applications in this field.
For more details, please read the full article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050538025000122