METTL3 Promotes Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasis Through Enhancing GLS2 Expression

Xiaoting Chen; Lanlan Huang; Lanlan Huang; Tingting Yang; Jiexuan Xu; Chengyong Zhang; Zhendong Deng; Xiaorong Yang; Naihua Liu; Size Chen; Shaoqiang Lin; Shaoqiang Lin

doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.667451

Frontiers in Oncology (May 2021)

METTL3 Promotes Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasis Through Enhancing GLS2 Expression

Xiaoting Chen,
Lanlan Huang,
Lanlan Huang,
Tingting Yang,
Jiexuan Xu,
Chengyong Zhang,
Zhendong Deng,
Xiaorong Yang,
Naihua Liu,
Size Chen,
Shaoqiang Lin,
Shaoqiang Lin

Affiliations

Xiaoting Chen: Clinical Department of Guangdong Metabolic Disease Research Centre of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Lanlan Huang: School of Clinical Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Lanlan Huang: Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Tingting Yang: Clinical Department of Guangdong Metabolic Disease Research Centre of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Jiexuan Xu: Clinical Department of Guangdong Metabolic Disease Research Centre of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Chengyong Zhang: Clinical Department of Guangdong Metabolic Disease Research Centre of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Zhendong Deng: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Xiaorong Yang: Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Naihua Liu: School of Clinical Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Size Chen: Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Esophageal Cancer Precise Therapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Shaoqiang Lin: Clinical Department of Guangdong Metabolic Disease Research Centre of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
Shaoqiang Lin: Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Esophageal Cancer Precise Therapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.667451
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11

Abstract

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Recent studies have identified pleiotropic roles of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in tumor progression. However, the roles of METTL3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are still unclear. Here, we investigated the function and mechanism of METTL3 in ESCC tumorigenesis. We reported that higher METTL3 expression was found in ESCC tissues and was markedly associated with depth of invasion and poor prognosis. Loss- and gain-of function studies showed that METTL3 promoted the migration and invasion of ESCC cells in vitro. Integrated methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-Seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis first demonstrated that glutaminase 2 (GLS2) was regulated by METTL3 via m6A modification. Our findings identified METTL3/GLS2 signaling as a potential therapeutic target in antimetastatic strategies against ESCC.

Published in Frontiers in Oncology

ISSN: 2234-943X (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/

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