The role of m6A RNA methylation in human cancer

N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) is identified as the most common, abundant and conserved internal transcriptional modification, especially within eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs). M 6 A modification is installed by the m 6 A methyltransferases (METTL3/14, WTAP, RBM15/15B and KIAA1429, termed as “writers”), reverted by the demethylases (FTO and ALKBH5, termed as “erasers”) and recognized by m 6 A binding proteins (YTHDF1/2/3, IGF2BP1 and HNRNPA2B1, termed as “readers”). Acumulating evidence shows that, m 6 A RNA methylation has an outsize effect on RNA production/metabolism and participates in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases including cancers. Until now, the molecular mechanisms underlying m 6 A RNA methylation in various tumors have not been comprehensively clarified. In this review, we mainly summarize the recent advances in biological function of m 6 A modifications in human cancer and discuss the potential therapeutic strategies.