N6-methyladenosine-induced SVIL antisense RNA 1 restrains lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by destabilizing E2F1

Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in cancer development. However, the biological roles of m6A and lncRNAs in lung cancer tumorigenesis are largely unknown. In this study, SVIL antisense RNA 1 (SVIL-AS1) was downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissues and was associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with LUAD. SVIL-AS1 overexpression suppressed LUAD cell proliferation and blocked cell cycle arrest. Mechanistically, METTL3 increased the m6A modification and transcript stability of SVIL-AS1. The enhanced SVIL-AS1 expression mediated by METTL3 suppressed E2F1 and E2F1-target genes. Moreover, SVIL-AS1 accelerated E2F1 degradation. The reduction in cell proliferation induced by SVIL-AS1 overexpression could be rescued by E2F1 overexpression or METTL3 knockdown. In conclusion, our work demonstrated the role and mechanism of METTL3-induced SVIL-AS1 in LUAD, which connects m6A and lncRNA in lung cancer carcinogenesis.

Keywords: E2F1; METTL3; SVIL-AS1; degradation; lung adenocarcinoma; m6A.