Enhancer RNA promotes resistance to radiotherapy in bone-metastatic prostate cancer by m6A modification

Theranostics. 2023 Jan 1;13(2):596-610. doi: 10.7150/thno.78687. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Rationale: Prostate cancer metastasizes to the bone with the highest frequency and exhibits high resistance to 177Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy. Little is known about bone metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) resistance to radiation. Methods: We filtered the metastatic eRNA using RNA-seq, MeRIP-seq, RT-qPCR and bioinformation. Western blot, RT-qPCR, CLIP, co-IP and RNA pull-down assays were used for RNA/protein interaction, RNA or protein expression examination. MTS assay was used to determine cell viability in vitro, xenograft assay was used to examine the tumor growth in mice. Results: In this study, we screened and identified bone-specific N6 adenosine methylation (m6A) on enhancer RNA (eRNA) that played a post-transcriptional functional role in bone mPCa and was correlated with radiotherapy (RT) resistance. Further data demonstrated that RNA-binding protein KHSRP recognized both m6A at eRNA and m6Am at 5'-UTR of mRNA to block RNA degradation from exoribonuclease XRN2. Depletion of the MLXIPe/KHSRP/PSMD9 regulatory complex inhibited tumor growth and RT sensitization of bone mPCa xenograft in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that a bone-specific m6A-modified eRNA plays a vital role in regulating mPCa progression and RT resistance and might be a novel specific predictor for cancer RT.

Keywords: Bone metastatic prostate cancer; Enhancer RNA; Radiotherapy.; m6A; m6Am.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Bone Neoplasms* / radiotherapy
  • Bone Neoplasms* / secondary
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methylation
  • Mice
  • Prostate / pathology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / radiotherapy
  • RNA*
  • Radiation Tolerance*

Substances

  • RNA