RNA methylation in cell death: mechanisms and clinical applications
Open Access
- 10 June 2026
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Nature in Molecular Cancer
- Vol. 25 (1)
Abstract
RNA methylation represents a critical epi-transcriptomic modification that regulates cell fate by modulating diverse aspects of RNA metabolism, including splicing, export, translation, and degradation. Among the best-characterized modifications are N6-methyladenosine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C), N7-methylguanosine (m7G), and N1-methyladenosine (m1A), which are dynamically regulated by specific writer, eraser and reader proteins. Dysregulation of these modifications perturbs multiple regulated cell death pathways, such as apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, and cuproptosis, thereby promoting tumor progression, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanisms by which RNA methylation shapes cell death programs and highlight its potential as a biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as a promising target for therapeutic intervention.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (82472771)
- Shanghai Eastern Talent Plan - Youth Project (QNWS2024061)
- The Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality-Explorer Program (25TS1411300)
This publication has 174 references indexed in Scilit:
- ALKBH3 suppresses ischemia/reperfusion‐induced PANoptosis by regulating the ZBED6/STAT1/AIM2 axis through m 1 A demethylationClinical and Translational Medicine, 2026
- Unveiling Novel Biomarkers: Ferroptosis and m1A in the Progression of Nanographene‐Induced Lung FibrosisSmall, 2025
- NSUN5 promotes cholangiocarcinoma progression by enhancing GLS mRNA stabilizationJournal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, 2025
- Lactylation‐Driven IGF2BP3‐Mediated Serine Metabolism Reprogramming and RNA m6A—Modification Promotes Lenvatinib Resistance in HCCAdvanced Science, 2024
- Autophagy Deficiency Induced by SAT1 Potentiates Tumor Progression in Triple‐Negative Breast CancerAdvanced Science, 2024
- Metabolic Recoding of NSUN2‐Mediated m5C Modification Promotes the Progression of Colorectal Cancer via the NSUN2/YBX1/m5C‐ENO1 Positive Feedback LoopAdvanced Science, 2024
- The Molecular Basis of Human ALKBH3 Mediated RNA N1‐methyladenosine (m1A) DemethylationAngewandte Chemie International Edition, 2024
- The N6‐methyladenosine modification enhances ferroptosis resistance through inhibiting SLC7A11 mRNA deadenylation in hepatoblastomaClinical and Translational Medicine, 2022
- METTL1 promotes hepatocarcinogenesis via m7G tRNA modification‐dependent translation controlClinical and Translational Medicine, 2021
- Increased N6‐methyladenosine causes infertility is associated with FTO expressionJournal of Cellular Physiology, 2018