Modulation of m⁶A RNA modification by DAP3 in cancer cells.

Abstract

N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) RNA methylation is a prevalent RNA modification that significantly impacts RNA metabolism and cancer development. Maintaining the global m⁶A levels in cancer cells relies on RNA accessibility to methyltransferases and the availability of the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Here, we reveal that death associated protein 3 (DAP3) plays a crucial role in preserving m⁶A levels through two distinct mechanisms. First, although DAP3 is not a component of the m⁶A writer complex, it directly binds to m⁶A target regions, thereby facilitating METTL3 binding. Second, DAP3 promotes <i>MAT2A</i>'s last intron splicing, increasing MAT2A protein, cellular SAM, and m⁶A levels. Silencing DAP3 hinders tumorigenesis, which can be rescued by MAT2A overexpression. This evidence suggests DAP3's role in tumorigenesis, partly through m⁶A regulation. Our findings unveil DAP3's complex role as an RNA-binding protein and tumor promoter, impacting RNA processing, splicing, and m⁶A modification in cancer transcriptomes.