Work

Identification of m6A-Associated mRNAs, lncRNAs, and m6A Regulators in Endometriosis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Endometriosis (EMs), which causes significant pain and infertility, continues to affect women of reproductive age, yet its molecular mechanisms remain inadequately defined. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most prevalent post-transcriptional modification in mammalian mRNA, and recent studies have increasingly focused on elucidating the relationship between m6A and EMs, to provide theoretical insights for clinical prevention and treatment. Methods: Using human m6A-mRNA and lncRNA epigenomic microarray techniques, functional and pathway enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction network (PPI), and R packages, we conducted exploratory analyses to identify mRNAs and lncRNAs with differential methylation, as well as important m6A regulators associated with EMs. These findings were verified using external databases, along with RNA extraction and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence techniques. Results: Specifically, our analysis revealed 1631 hyper-upregulated, 219 hypo-upregulated, and 6483 hypo-downregulated differentially methylated and expressed genes (DMEGs). Additionally, we identified 8 candidate hub genes-RHOA, KCNA2, BDNF, CACNA1C, FGFR1, IL18, KCNIP2, and RPL17-and characterized their enriched pathways. Furthermore, we observed 6 significantly hypermethylated and 14 significantly hypomethylated lncRNAs in EMs. Our screening identified two key m6A regulators, WTAP and RBM15, which may represent candidate molecules worthy of further investigation in the context of EMs. Conclusion: This exploratory screening analysis delineates aberrant expression signatures of m6A regulators and their associated mRNAs and lncRNAs in endometriosis tissues, yielding preliminary molecular profiles that merely reflect correlations rather than causal or definite functional relationships. A circular flowchart infographic of Tissue-m6A-Profiling from tissue collection to analysis, screening and.Flowchart infographic with a circular loop around the center text, Tissue-m6A-Profiling, shown inside a DNA ring. The loop sections read: Tissue Collection; Microarray data analysis; Screening DMEGs; m6A-lncRNA; Identify Key m6A regulators; Validation. Tissue Collection includes the text, m6A mRNAs & lncRNAs and, Epitranscriptomic Microarray. Microarray data analysis lists, Heatmap, Volcano plot, Functional Enrichment. Screening DMEGs lists, PPI, KEGG, Turku database Verification. m6A-lncRNA lists, Heatmap, Volcano plot. Identify Key m6A regulators lists, Heatmap, Volcano plot, Database verification, Correlation. Validation lists, Immunohistochemical staining, Immunofluorescence assays on paraffin section, qPCR. Curved arrows connect the sections in a continuous cycle. Keywords: m6A, epitranscriptomic microarray, WTAP, RBM15, endometriosis

Source: Biologics

DOI: 10.2147/btt.s641092

Authors: Chengcheng Ren, Yanan He, Yanjun Qu, Yunlong Zhao, Guangmei Zhang

Institutions: First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Endometriosis Research and Treatment

Subfield: Reproductive Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,320