The importance of N6-methyladenosine modification in tumor immunity and immunotherapy

Ze Zhang; Furong Liu; Wei Chen; Zhibin Liao; Wanguang Zhang; Bixiang Zhang; Huifang Liang; Liang Chu; Zhanguo Zhang

doi:10.1186/s40164-022-00281-2

The importance of N6-methyladenosine modification in tumor immunity and immunotherapy

Exp Hematol Oncol. 2022 May 19;11(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s40164-022-00281-2.

Authors

Ze Zhang^#^{1

2}, Furong Liu^#^{1

2}, Wei Chen^#^{1

2}, Zhibin Liao^{1

2}, Wanguang Zhang^{1

2}, Bixiang Zhang^{1

2}, Huifang Liang^{1

2}, Liang Chu^{3

4}, Zhanguo Zhang^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Province for the Clinical Medicine Research Center of Hepatic Surgery, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Hubei, 430030, Wuhan, China.
² Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, 430030, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
³ Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Province for the Clinical Medicine Research Center of Hepatic Surgery, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Hubei, 430030, Wuhan, China. liangchu@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, 430030, Wuhan, Hubei, China. liangchu@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.
⁵ Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Province for the Clinical Medicine Research Center of Hepatic Surgery, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Hubei, 430030, Wuhan, China. zhanguo_tjh@hust.edu.cn.
⁶ Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, 430030, Wuhan, Hubei, China. zhanguo_tjh@hust.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

As the most common and abundant RNA modification in eukaryotic cells, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification plays an important role in different stages of tumor. m6A can participate in the regulation of tumor immune escape, so as to enhance the monitoring of tumor by the immune system and reduce tumorgenesis. m6A can also affect the tumor progression by regulating the immune cell responses to tumor in tumor microenvironment. In addition, immunotherapy has become the most popular method for the treatment of cancer, in which targets such as immune checkpoints are also closely associated with m6A. This review discusses the roles of N6-methyladenosine modification in tumor immune regulation, their regulatory mechanism, and the prospect of immunotherapy.

Keywords: Immune escape; Immunotherapy; N6-methyladenosine; Tumor immunity.

Publication types

Review