A new m6A methylation-related gene signature for prognostic value in patient with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Abstract

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignant urological cancer in the world. Because of its characteristic of easy-recurrence and muscle-invasive, advances in our genetic understanding of bladder cancer should be translated into prognostic indicators. Methods: We investigated 16 m6A RNA methylation regulators from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. The expression profile, clinical application as well as prognostic value of these genes in UC were investigated. Moreover, we further explored the correlation between RNA methylation genes and biological functions, pathways and immune status. Results: Five m6A-related genes (HNRNPC, YTHDF2, YTHDF1, HNRNPA2B1, METTL3) up-regulated in UC tissues, while three regulators (ZC3H13, METTL16, FTO) down-regulated in UC. FTO and YTHDF2 show biomarker potential for the prognosis of UC patients. In addition, these identified genes may related with essential functions and core molecular pathways. Conclusions: Our research shows that two m6A RNA methylation regulators can serve as reliable prognostic biomarkers of UC, which might be exerted as potential targets of therapeutic strategies.