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Xu C, Song C, Wang W, Liu B, Li G, Fu T, Hao B, Li N, Geng Q. Comprehensive analysis of m6A modification in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice. Mol Med 2024; 30:14. [PMID: 38254010 PMCID: PMC10804706 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-024-00782-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is the most prevalent post-transcriptional modification in mRNA, and plays significant roles in various diseases. Nevertheless, the precise functions of m6A modification in the formation of ALI remain unclear. In this study we explore the transcriptome distribution of m6A methylation and its probable roles of in ALI. METHODS Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was utilized to establish an ALI mouse model. Real-time qPCR, Western blotting and m6A dot blot were utilized to assess m6A methylation level and the expression of m6A methylation enzymes. MeRIP-Seq and RNA-seq were utilized to explore differential m6A modifications and differentially expressed genes in ALI mice. The hub genes and enriched pathways were assessed by Real-time qPCR and Western blotting. RESULTS Our findings showed that overall m6A methylation level was increased in ALI mice lung tissues, accompanied by lower levels of METTL3 and FTO. Notably, the protein expression of these methylases were different in various cells. There were 772 differently expressed m6A peaks in ALI as compared to the control group, with 316 being hypermethylated and 456 being hypomethylated. GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated these differentially methylated genes were associated with the calcium signaling pathway and cAMP signaling pathway. Furthermore, we identified 50 genes with distinct m6A peaks and mRNA expressions by combined analysis of MeRIP-Seq and RNA-Seq. KEGG analysis also demonstrated that these overlapped genes were closely associated with the calcium signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, etc. Besides, Western blotting results demonstrated that the protein expression of Fibronectin leucine-rich transmembrane protein 3 (Flrt3) as well as the calcium signaling pathway and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, increased significantly after ALI. CONCLUSIONS m6A modification was paramount in the pathogenesis of ALI, and provided a foundation for the further investigation in the prevention and treatment of ALI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenzhen Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Congkuan Song
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Wenjie Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Bohao Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Guorui Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Tinglv Fu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Bo Hao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Ning Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China.
| | - Qing Geng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China.
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Zheng X, Zhou B, Li Y, Zhong H, Huang Z, Gu M. Transcriptome-wide N 6-methyladenosine methylation profile of atherosclerosis in mice. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:774. [PMID: 38097926 PMCID: PMC10720251 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09878-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis (AS) is a critical pathological event during the progression of cardiovascular diseases. It exhibits fibrofatty lesions on the arterial wall and lacks effective treatment. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common modification of eukaryotic RNA and plays an important role in regulating the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of m6A modification in AS remains largely unknown. Therefore, in this study, we explored the transcriptome distribution of m6A modification in AS and its potential mechanism. METHODS Methylation Quantification Kit was used to detect the global m6A levels in the aorta of AS mice. Western blot was used to analyze the protein level of methyltransferases. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) were used to obtain the first transcriptome range analysis of the m6A methylene map in the aorta of AS mice, followed by bioinformatics analysis. qRT-PCR and MeRIP-qRT-PCR were used to measure the mRNA and m6A levels in target genes. RESULTS The global m6A and protein levels of methyltransferase METTL3 were significantly increased in the aorta of AS mice. However, the protein level of demethylase ALKBH5 was significantly decreased. Through MeRIP-seq, we obtained m6A methylation maps in AS and control mice. In total, 26,918 m6A peaks associated with 13,744 genes were detected in AS group, whereas 26,157 m6A peaks associated with 13,283 genes were detected in the control group. Peaks mainly appeared in the coding sequence (CDS) regions close to the stop codon with the RRACH motif. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that m6A-containing genes were significantly enriched in AS-relevant pathways. Interestingly, a negative correlation between m6A methylation abundance and gene expression level was found through the integrated analysis of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq data. Among the m6A-modified genes, a hypo-methylated but up-regulated (hypo-up) gene Fabp5 may be a potential biomarker of AS. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides transcriptome-wide m6A methylation for the first time to determine the association between m6A modification and AS progression. Our study lays a foundation for further exploring the pathogenesis of AS and provides a new direction for the treatment of AS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinbin Zheng
- Clinical Research Center, Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- Hainan Clinical Research Center for Preventive Treatment of Diseases, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- Hospital of Chinese Medicine affiliated by Hainan Medical University, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Bo Zhou
- Department of Cardiology, Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- Hospital of Chinese Medicine affiliated by Hainan Medical University, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Yuzhen Li
- Clinical Research Center, Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- Hospital of Chinese Medicine affiliated by Hainan Medical University, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Hengren Zhong
- Clinical Research Center, Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- Hospital of Chinese Medicine affiliated by Hainan Medical University, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Zhengxin Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
- Hospital of Chinese Medicine affiliated by Hainan Medical University, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
| | - Minhua Gu
- Department of Cardiology, Hainan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
- Hospital of Chinese Medicine affiliated by Hainan Medical University, 570203, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
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