Frontiers in Oncology (Jul 2021)

METTL3 Promotes the Resistance of Glioma to Temozolomide via Increasing MGMT and ANPG in a m6A Dependent Manner

  • Jia Shi,
  • Jia Shi,
  • Gang Chen,
  • Xuchen Dong,
  • Haoran Li,
  • Suwen Li,
  • Shan Cheng,
  • Yongdong Li,
  • Liping Wang,
  • Jiaqi Yuan,
  • Zhiyuan Qian,
  • Jun Dong

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.702983
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Acquired chemoresistance is a major limiting factor in the clinical treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). However, the mechanism by which GBM acquires therapeutic resistance remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate whether METTL3-mediated N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification contributes to the temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in GBM. We demonstrated that METTL3 METTL3-mediated m6A modification were significantly elevated in TMZ-resistant GBM cells. Functionally, METTL3 overexpression impaired the TMZ-sensitivity of GBM cells. In contrast, METTL3 silencing or DAA-mediated total methylation inhibition improved the sensitivity of TMZ-resistant GBM cells to TMZ in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that two critical DNA repair genes (MGMT and APNG) were m6A-modified by METTL3, whereas inhibited by METTL3 silencing or DAA-mediated total methylation inhibition, which is crucial for METTL3-improved TMZ resistance in GBM cells. Collectively, METTL3 acts as a critical promoter of TMZ resistance in glioma and extends the current understanding of m6A related signaling, thereby providing new insights into the field of glioma treatment.

Keywords