Could partial nonstarch polysaccharides ameliorate cancer by altering m⁶A RNA methylation in hosts through intestinal microbiota?

Abstract

There is a growing scientific view that the improvement of cancer by nonstarch polysaccharides (NSPs) is mediated by intestinal microbiota. Intestinal bacteria affect the supply of methyl donor substances and influence N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) RNA methylation. As one of the epigenetic/epitranscriptomic modifications, m⁶A RNA methylation is closely related to the initiation and progression of cancers. This review summarizes the cancer-improving effects of NSPs through modulation of intestinal microbiota. It also summarizes the relationship between intestinal bacteria and the supply of methyl donor substances. Moreover, it also provides a summary of the effects of m⁶A RNA methylation on various types of cancer. The proposed mechanism is that, dietary consumed NSPs are utilized by specific intestinal bacteria and further reshape the microbial structure. Methyl donor substances will be directly or indirectly generated by the reshaped-microbiota, and affect the m⁶A RNA methylation of cancer-related and pro-carcinogenic inflammatory cytokine genes. Therefore, NSPs may change the m⁶A RNA methylation by affecting the methyl donor supply produced by intestinal microbiota and ameliorate cancer. This review discussed the possibility of cancer improvement of bioactive NSPs achieved by impacting RNA methylation via the intestinal microbiota, and it will offer new insights for the application of NSPs toward specific cancer prevention.

Keywords:

• Cancer
• intestinal microbiota
• m⁶A RNA methylation
• methyl donor
• nonstarch polysaccharides

Declaration of competing interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Funds (No. 31801543; No. 32072223), the funds of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2018M643368) and Guangzhou Science and Technology Project (No. 202102010073).