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ZC3H13 loss drives cancer metastatic progression by disrupting m6A RNA methylation
Molecular Mechanisms Program, Centro de Investigación del Cáncer and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)-University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Molecular Mechanisms Program, Centro de Investigación del Cáncer and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)-University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.
Molecular Mechanisms Program, Centro de Investigación del Cáncer and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)-University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
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2026 (English)In: Cancer Research, ISSN 0008-5472, E-ISSN 1538-7445, Vol. 86, no 3, p. 622-641Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Aggressive metastatic cancer remains a major clinical challenge because of the unclear underlying mechanisms and the limited treatment options available. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is a reversible modification of RNA that is frequently altered in cancer, and inhibitors targeting regulators of this process have been shown to block tumorigenesis. A better understanding of the role of m6A modifications in driving metastatic properties could help reveal potential strategies to prevent and treat metastasis. In this study, we discovered loss of the m6A writer complex component ZC3H13 as a key regulator of metastatic progression. Co-loss of ZC3H13 together with RB1 and BRCA2 occurred in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Functional in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that ZC3H13 loss changes m6A writer complex activity and target specificity, leading to decreased m6A methylation and increased stability of transcripts that promote migration and invasion. Treatment with FDA-approved m6A demethylase inhibitors effectively reduced the metastatic capabilities of ZC3H13-deficient cells. Together, these findings provide insights into how the m6A writer complex selectively methylates mRNAs, highlight the pathologic consequences of altered writer complex composition in cancer, and reveal therapeutic avenues for patients with metastatic cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: FDA-approved m6A demethylase inhibitors can inhibit metastasis driven by ZC3H13 deficiency, which reduces m6A methylation of select transcripts involved in migration and invasion, providing potential therapeutic options for patients with metastatic cancer.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Association For Cancer Research (AACR), 2026. Vol. 86, no 3, p. 622-641
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Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-249833DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-24-3975ISI: 001677471500016PubMedID: 41105668Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105029303213OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-249833DiVA, id: diva2:2041908
Available from: 2026-02-26 Created: 2026-02-26 Last updated: 2026-02-26Bibliographically approved

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Bhattarai, Devi PrasadAguilo, Francesca

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Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM)Department of Molecular Biology (Faculty of Medicine)
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