Aim: To explore the expression profiles of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) enzymes (writers, erasers and readers) and their associations with gastric cancer (GC) prognosis. Methods: Gene expression was analyzed using the UALCAN and Oncomine web resources. The prognostic roles of these genes in GC were analyzed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Results: Thirteen m6A enzymes were found to be upregulated in GC tissues. The expression of m6A writers METTL3, RBM15 and WTAP was associated with pathological stage. The m6A eraser FTO was related to tumor stage and ALKBH5 expression was related to GC prognosis. The m6A reader YTHDF3 expression was associated with tumor stage. YTHDC2 was associated with survival of GC patients. Conclusion: Abnormal changes of key genes involved in m6A RNA methylation may have an important impact on GC development and prognosis.
Keywords: RNA methylation; expression; gastric cancer; m6A.
Lay abstract RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is modulated by a series of epigenetic modulator enzymes termed ‘writers’, ‘erasers’ and ‘readers’. We aimed to explore the expression profiles of these m6A enzymes and their associations with gastric cancer (GC) development and prognosis. Gene expression was analyzed using the UALCAN and Oncomine web resources. Clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Gene–gene networks and protein–protein interaction networks were built using the softwares STRING and GeneMANIA. Thirteen m6A enzymes were found to be upregulated in GC tissues. The expression of m6A writers METTL3, RBM15 and WTAP was associated with pathological stage. The m6A eraser FTO was related to tumor stage and ALKBH5 expression was related to GC prognosis. The m6A reader YTHDF3 expression was associated with tumor stage, and YTHDC2 was associated with survival of GC patients. In summary, these results suggest that abnormal changes of key genes involved in regulation and function of m6A RNA methylation may have an important impact on GC development and its clinical prognosis.