m6A mRNA Modifications in Glioblastoma: Emerging Prognostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets

Abstract

Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor, is highly invasive and neurologically destructive. The mean survival for glioblastoma patients is approximately 15 months and there is no effective therapy to significantly increase survival times to date. The development of effective therapy including mechanism-based therapies is urgently needed. At a molecular biology level, N6-methyladenine (m6A) mRNA modification is the most abundant posttranscriptional RNA modification in mammals. Recent studies have shown that m6A mRNA modifications affect cell survival, cell proliferation, invasion, and immune evasion of glioblastoma. In addition, m6A mRNA modifications are critical for glioblastoma stem cells, which could initiate the tumor and lead to therapy resistance. These findings implicate the function of m6A mRNA modification in tumorigenesis and progression, implicating its value in prognosis and therapies of human glioblastoma. This review focuses on the potential clinical significance of m6A mRNA modifications in prognostic and therapeutics of glioblastoma. With the identification of small-molecule compounds that activate or inhibit components of m6A mRNA modifications, a promising novel approach for glioblastoma therapy is emerging.