The m6A writer RBM15 drives the growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells through the stimulation of serine and glycine metabolism

Abstract

N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) is critical for controlling cancer cell growth and tumorigenesis. However, the function and detailed mechanism of how m6A methyltransferases modulate m6A levels on specific targets remain unknown. In the current study, we identified significantly elevated levels of RBM15, an m6A writer, in basal-like breast cancer (BC) patients compared to nonbasal-like BC patients and linked this increase to worse clinical outcomes. Gene expression profiling revealed correlations between RBM15 and serine and glycine metabolic genes, including PHGDH, PSAT1, PSPH, and SHMT2. RBM15 influences m6A levels and, specifically, the m6A levels of serine and glycine metabolic genes via direct binding to target RNA. The effects of RBM15 on cell growth were largely dependent on serine and glycine metabolism. Thus, RBM15 coordinates cancer cell growth through altered serine and glycine metabolism, suggesting that RBM15 is a new therapeutic target in BC. RNA methylation, a key process controlling gene activity, involves proteins like RNA-binding motif protein 15 (RBM15). Its role in breast cancer is unclear. Studies show RBM15 is highly active in a type of breast cancer called triple-negative and is linked to patient outcomes. It controls genes related to serine and glycine metabolism; substances that help cancer cells grow. The research demonstrates that RBM15 controls genes involved in the cancer metabolism of serine and glycine, two types of amino acids, which contributes to cancer cell proliferation. This suggests that targeting RBM15 can be new therapeutic approaches for triple-negative breast cancer patients. This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author.