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Updated: May 23, 2025
Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues
Published on: November 22, 2014
METTL3-Mediated m6A mRNA Modification Facilitates Neointimal Hyperplasia in Arteriovenous Fistula
Yao Zhao1, Zhaozheng Li1, Huimin Ma1
1Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China (Y.Z., Z.L., H.M., C.Z., J.J.).
Background:
Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease, yet its long-term patency is threatened by neointimal hyperplasia (NIH). N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a prevalent RNA modification catalyzed by METTL3 (methyltransferase-like 3), plays a regulatory role in cardiovascular remodeling. Our previous studies found that N6-methyladenosine methyltransferase METTL3 mediated cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart repair after myocardial ischemia. However, its impact on AVF-related NIH remains unclear.
Methods:
We examined m6A levels and METTL3 expression in human and murine AVF tissues. Using smooth muscle cell-specific METTL3 conditional knockout and METTL3-overexpressing (adeno-associated virus-METTL3) mouse models, we evaluated NIH formation. In vitro, we analyzed vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, phenotypic switching, and ferroptosis. m6A epitranscriptomic microarray and RNA stability assays were used to explore downstream targets and mechanisms.
Results:
METTL3 was significantly upregulated in AVF tissues and vascular smooth muscle cells undergoing dedifferentiation. METTL3 deletion attenuated, while overexpression exacerbated, NIH in vivo. METTL3 enhanced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and phenotypic switching, while suppressing ferroptosis. Mechanistically, METTL3 increased m6A modification of SLC7A11 (solute carrier family 7 member 11) mRNA, stabilized its transcript, and promoted translation via recruitment of the m6A reader YTHDF1 (YTH [YT521-B homology domain] N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein 1). Silencing SLC7A11 or YTHDF1 abrogated METTL3-induced phenotypic changes and ferroptosis resistance.
Conclusions:
The METTL3-YTHDF1-SLC7A11 axis facilitates AVF NIH by regulating vascular smooth muscle cell dedifferentiation and ferroptosis. These findings uncover a novel epitranscriptional mechanism and suggest a potential therapeutic target for AVF stenosis.
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