Identification and functional analysis of N6-methyladenine (m⁶ A)-related lncRNA across 33 cancer types

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m⁶ A) plays an essential role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are discovered to be important targets of m⁶ A modification, and they play fundamental roles in diverse biological processes. However, there is still a lack of knowledge with regards to the association between m⁶ A and lncRNAs in human tumors.

Methods: The relationship between lncRNAs and 21 m⁶ A regulators was comprehensively explored, through the integration of multi-omics data from M6A2Target, m6A-Atlas, and TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas). In order to explore the potential roles of m6A-related lncRNAs in human tumors, three applicable methods were introduced, which include the construction of ceRNA networks, drug sensitivity estimation, and survival analysis.

Results: A substantial number of positive correlation events across 33 cancer types were found. Moreover, cancer-specific lncRNAs were associated with tissue specificity, and cancer-common lncRNAs were conserved in cancer-related biological function. In particular, the m⁶ A-related lncRNA FGD5-AS1 was found to be associated with cancer treatment, through its influence on cisplatin resistance in breast cancer patients. Finally, a user-friendly interface Lnc2m6A, which is enriched with various browsing sections resource for the exhibition of relationships and putative biogenesis between lncRNAs and m⁶ A modifications, is offered in http://hainmu-biobigdata.com/Lnc2m6A.

Conclusions: In summary, the results from this paper will provide a valuable resource that guides both mechanistic and therapeutic roles of m⁶ A-related lncRNAs in human tumors.