N⁶-methyladenosine modification and skin diseases

Area of Science:

• Epigenetics
• Dermatology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Research on N6-methyladenine (m6A) modifications is prevalent in oncology but less explored in skin diseases.
• A growing body of literature indicates increasing interest in m6A's role in dermatological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and analyze the current research landscape of m6A in skin diseases.
• To identify key areas of focus and knowledge gaps in m6A dermatological research.
• To explore the differential expression of m6A-related genes in various skin conditions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed and Web of Science databases.
• Analysis of citation counts and journal impact factors to assess research trends.
• Term frequency analysis of titles and abstracts to identify research themes.
• Transcriptomic data analysis from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

Main Results:

• A significant upward trend in m6A-related research volume was observed.
• Primary research focuses on skin tumors (e.g., melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma) and inflammatory/immune skin diseases (e.g., psoriasis, atopic dermatitis).
• Differential expression of m6A-related genes was identified in neoplastic and non-neoplastic skin diseases, suggesting distinct regulatory roles.

Conclusions:

• m6A modifications display heterogeneity between cancerous and non-cancerous skin conditions.
• The precise regulatory mechanisms of dynamic m6A modifications in key genes underlying dermatological disorders require further in-depth investigation.
• This highlights a critical area for future research in medical dermatology and epigenetics.