Reshaping the role of m6A modification in cancer transcriptome: a review

Abstract N6-methyl-adenosine(m6A) modification emerges as an abundant and dynamic regulation throughout the Eukaryotic transcriptome. Dysregulation of the m6A regulators has increasingly been found in many neoplasms. It is reasonable to believe that m6A changes the fate of cancer cells and subsequently affected all aspects of cancer progression. In view of the context-dependent role of m6A modification, we emphasize a dual effect of m6A in a particular tumor model, that is, m6A plays a promoting role or a suppressing role in different stages of cancer. This novel sight is compared to the older view that a particular m6A regulator acts as a consistent role in cancer progression.