Targeted m6A demethylation of ITGA6 mRNA by a multisite dCasRx–m6A editor inhibits bladder cancer development

作者：Xiaoling Ying, Yapeng Huang, Bixia Liu, Wenyu Hu, Ding Ji, Cong Chen, Haiqing Zhang, Yaomin liang, Yifan lv, Weidong Ji · 发表于：Journal of Advanced Research · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.jare.2023.03.010 · 被引用次数：25 · 研究领域：RNA modifications and cancer、Cancer-related gene regulation、Viral-associated cancers and disorders

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification contributes to the pathogenesis and development of various cancers, including bladder cancer (BCa). In particular, integrin α6 (ITGA6) promotes BCa progression by cooperatively regulating multisite m6A modification. However, the therapeutic effect of targeting ITGA6 multisite m6A modifications in BCa remains unknown. We aim to develop a multisite dCasRx– m6A editor for assessing the effects of the multisite dCasRx–m6A editor targeted m6A demethylation of ITGA6 mRNA in BC growth and progression. The multisite dCasRx– m6A editor was generated by cloning. m6A-methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (meRIP), luciferase reporter, a single-base T3 ligase-based qPCR-amplification, Polysome profiling and meRIP-seq experiments were performed to determine the targeting specificity of the multisite dCasRx–m6A editor. We performed cell phenotype analysis and used in vivo mouse xenograft models to assess the effects of the multisite dCasRx–m6A editor in BC growth and progression. We designed a targeted ITGA6 multi-locus guide (g)RNA and established a bidirectional deactivated RfxCas13d (dCasRx)-based m6A-editing platform, comprising a nucleus-localized dCasRx fused with the catalytic domains of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3-CD) or α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5-CD), to simultaneously manipulate the methylation of ITGA6 mRNA at four m6A sites. The results confirmed the dCasRx–m6A editor modified m6A at multiple sites in ITGA...