Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
12:42

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo

Published on: January 7, 2019

9.4K

The three YTHDF paralogs and VIRMA are strong cross-histotype tumor driver candidates among m6A core genes

Eliana Destefanis1, Denise Sighel1, Davide Dalfovo2

  • 1Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento 38123, Italy.

NAR Cancer
|October 16, 2024
PubMed

Insights

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) modifications impact cancer, but gene alterations show conflicting roles. Non-enzymatic YTHDF and VIRMA factors, frequently altered, predict patient survival and are priority cancer targets.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent internal mRNA modification.
  • m6A's role in cancer is significant but complex, with conflicting reports on m6A machinery proteins.
  • Dysregulation of m6A factors can either promote or suppress tumor development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a pan-cancer investigation of 15 m6A core factors across 31 tumor types.
  • To identify cross-tumor patterns in m6A factor alterations and their clinical significance.
  • To determine the most promising m6A-related genes for cancer research and therapeutic targeting.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data from nearly 10,000 cancer samples.
  • Analyzed copy number variations (CNVs) and gene expression of 15 core m6A machinery proteins.
  • Correlated m6A factor alterations with tumor type and progression-free survival (PFS).

Main Results:

  • Altered gene expression, primarily via chromosome arm-level CNVs, is the most common dysregulation mode for m6A factors.
  • YTHDF1, YTHDF2, YTHDF3, and VIRMA were the most frequently altered factors.
  • YTHDF and VIRMA genes demonstrated coherent, pan-cancer predictive power for PFS, unlike METTL3.

Conclusions:

  • Non-enzymatic m6A factors, specifically YTHDF and VIRMA, are frequently altered in cancer and predict patient survival.
  • These genes offer more consistent insights into m6A's role in cancer compared to enzymatic factors like METTL3.
  • YTHDF and VIRMA represent priority targets for dissecting m6A's function and developing novel cancer therapies.

More Related Videos

DNA Vector-based RNA Interference to Study Gene Function in Cancer13:10

DNA Vector-based RNA Interference to Study Gene Function in Cancer

Published on: June 4, 2012

20.6K
In Vivo Functional Study of Disease-associated Rare Human Variants Using Drosophila00:06

In Vivo Functional Study of Disease-associated Rare Human Variants Using Drosophila

Published on: August 20, 2019

13.6K

Related Concept Videos

Hybridoma Technology01:31

Hybridoma Technology

Hybridoma technology is used for the large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies bind to only a single antigenic determinant or epitope. Such antibodies are used in research, diagnostics, and disease therapy. The hybridoma technology established in 1975 by Georges Köhler and Cesar Milstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1984 for revolutionizing research and therapy.
Hybridoma Selection
Commonly used fusion techniques — electroporation,...
14.1K
Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
32.2K
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
5.0K
Non-LTR Retrotransposons03:18

Non-LTR Retrotransposons

As the name suggests, non-LTR retrotransposons lack the long terminal repeats characteristic of the LTR retrotransposons. Additionally, both LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons use distinct mechanisms of mobilization. Non-LTR retrotransposons are further divided into two classes - Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), both of which occur abundantly in most mammals, including humans. Some of the active non-LTR retrotransposons in humans are L1...
11.4K
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.2K
LTR Retrotransposons03:08

LTR Retrotransposons

LTR retrotransposons are class I transposable elements with long terminal repeats flanking an internal coding region. These elements are less abundant in mammals compared to other class I transposable elements. About 8 percent of human genomic DNA comprises LTR retrotransposons. Some of the common examples of LTR retrotransposons are Ty elements in yeast and Copia elements in Drosophila.
The internal coding region of LTR retrotransposons and their mechanism of transposition closely resembles a...
17.4K