N6-methyladenosine regulates glycolysis of cancer cells through PDK4

Nat Commun. 2020 May 22;11(1):2578. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16306-5.

Abstract

Studies on biological functions of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in mRNA have sprung up in recent years. We find m6A can positively regulate the glycolysis of cancer cells. Specifically, m6A-sequencing and functional studies confirm that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) is involved in m6A regulated glycolysis and ATP generation. The m6A modified 5'UTR of PDK4 positively regulates its translation elongation and mRNA stability via binding with YTHDF1/eEF-2 complex and IGF2BP3, respectively. Targeted specific demethylation of PDK4 m6A by dm6ACRISPR system can significantly decrease the expression of PDK4 and glycolysis of cancer cells. Further, TATA-binding protein (TBP) can transcriptionally increase the expression of Mettl3 in cervical cancer cells via binding to its promoter. In vivo and clinical data confirm the positive roles of m6A/PDK4 in tumor growth and progression of cervical and liver cancer. Our study reveals that m6A regulates glycolysis of cancer cells through PDK4.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 5' Untranslated Regions
  • Adenosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Adenosine / metabolism
  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
  • Female
  • Glycolysis / genetics
  • Glycolysis / physiology*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Methyltransferases / genetics
  • Methyltransferases / metabolism
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase / genetics
  • Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase / metabolism*
  • RNA Stability
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / mortality
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • 5' Untranslated Regions
  • IGF2BP3 protein, human
  • PDK4 protein, human
  • Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • YTHDF1 protein, human
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • N-methyladenosine
  • Methyltransferases
  • METTL3 protein, human
  • Adenosine