METTL3 Affects Spinal Cord Neuronal Apoptosis by Regulating Bcl-2 m6A Modifications After Spinal Cord Injury

OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe type of neurological trauma. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is one of the most common internal modifications of RNA. The role of METTL3, the predominant methylation enzyme of m6A modification, in SCI remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of methyltransferase METTL3 in SCI. METHODS: After establishing the oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model of PC12 cells and rat spinal cord hemisection model, we found that the expression of METTL3 and the overall m6A modification level were significantly increased in neurons. The m6A modification was identified on B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) messenger RNA (mRNA) by bioinformatics analysis, and m6A-RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA immunoprecipitation. In addition, METTL3 was blocked by the specific inhibitor STM2457 and gene knockdown, and then apoptosis levels were measured. RESULTS: In different models, we found that the expression of METTL3 and the overall m6A modification level were significantly increased in neurons. After inducing OGD, inhibition of METTL3 activity or expression increased the mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2, inhibited neuronal apoptosis, and improved neuronal viability in the spinal cord. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of METTL3 activity or expression can inhibit the apoptosis of spinal cord neurons after SCI through the m6A/Bcl-2 signaling pathway.