N6-Methyladenosine Regulators Promote Malignant Progression of Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

ABSTRACT

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is dynamically and reversibly regulated by methyltransferases, binding proteins, and demethylases. The restoration of m6A to adenosine could result in demethylation modifications. Abnormalities in m6A epigenetic modifications in cancer are of increasing interest in recent years. According to the progression and prognostic performance of m6A epigenetic modifications in gastric adenocarcinoma (STAD), this study comprehensively analyzed the m6A modification patterns of gastric adenocarcinoma specimens in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database based on 20 m6A regulators. Here, we found that 20 m6A RNA methylation regulators were high-expressed in gastric adenocarcinoma. m6A RNA methylation regulators were closely associated with pT staging of gastric cancer. Based on such findings, we developed a prognostic model using four m6A RNA methylation regulators (IGF2BP1, RBM15, FTO, ALKBH5), and the FTO was confirmed as an independent prognostic marker.