N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in osteosarcoma: expression, function and interaction with noncoding RNAs – an updated review

ABSTRACT

Osteosarcoma, originating from primitive bone-forming mesenchymal cells, is the most common malignant bone tumour among children and adolescents. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most ubiquitous type of posttranscriptional modification, is a methylation that occurs in the N6-position of adenosine. m6A dramatically affects the splicing, export, translation, and stability of various RNAs, including mRNA and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Increasing evidence suggests that ncRNAs, especially microRNAs (miRNA), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), regulate the m6A modification process by affecting the expression of m6A-associated enzymes. m6A modification interactions with ncRNAs provide new perspectives for exploring the underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis and progression. In the current review, we summarized the expression and biological functions of m6A regulators in osteosarcoma. At the same time, the present review systematically elucidated the functional and mechanical interactions between m6A modification and ncRNAs in osteosarcoma. In addition, we discussed the effect of m6A and ncRNAs in the tumour microenvironment and potential clinical applications of osteosarcoma.

KEYWORDS:

• Osteosarcoma
• N6-methyladenosine
• noncoding RNA
• epigenetic regulation
• molecular mechanisms

Authors’ contributions

YW contributed to the concept and design of the paper. YZ planned and wrote the paper. YZ, YX, YL, GQ, MH, and JL contributed to generating the Figures and Tables. YB participated in the revision of the Figures and Tables. BC participated in the summary of the paper. YW and JX participated in the revision of the paper. All authors read and approved the final paper.

Consent for publication

All participants were informed and gave written consent.

Availability of data and material

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The present study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 81972522) and the Youth Talent Support Program of Liaoning Province (grant No. XLYC1907011).