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J Cancer 2023; 14(16):2964-2977. doi:10.7150/jca.85860 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Suppression of Wnt/β-catenin Signaling in PDAC via METTL16-mediated N6-methyladenosine Modification of DVL2

Lanting Yu^1,2*, Jiawei Lu^1,2*, Ni Xie^1,2*, Lutong Fang³, Sumin Chen⁴, Ying Wu^1,2, Xingpeng Wang^1,2✉, Baiwen Li^1,2✉

1. Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201620, China.
2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201620, China.
3. The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui 230022, China.
4. Department of Gastroenterology, Jiading Branch of Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201803, China.
* Contributed equally.

✉ Corresponding authors: Professor Baiwen Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.650 Fangsong Street, Xinsongjiang Road, Shanghai 201620, China. E-mail: 456edu.en. Professor Xingpeng Wang, Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.650 Fangsong Street, Xinsongjiang Road, Shanghai 201620, China. E-mail: richardwangxpcom. More

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a formidable cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and has witnessed a more than twofold increase in incidence over the last 25 years. The most frequently occurring form of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), accounting for the majority of pancreatic cancer cases. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant transcript modification, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous human cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Despite this, the functional role of methyltransferase-like 16 (METTL16), a critical m6A methyltransferase, in PDAC remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that METTL16 expression is significantly diminished in PDAC, rendering it a promising prognostic indicator. Strikingly, both in vitro and in vivo assays revealed accelerated metastasis and invasion of PDAC cells upon METTL16 knockdown, while overexpression of METTL16 exerted an opposite effect. Mechanistically, METTL16 regulates DVL2 expression by suppressing its translation via m⁶A modification, thereby regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling., Our results unveil the downregulation of METTL16 as a concomitant increase in DVL2 levels via m6A modification promoting the progression of PDAC. Thus, we propose METTL16 as a novel therapeutic candidate for targeted PDAC treatment.

Keywords: METTL16, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, m⁶A, DVL2

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