Authors |
Wang Y,Wang J,Li X,Xiong X,Wang J,Zhou Z,Zhu X,Gu Y,Dominissini D,He L,Tian Y,Yi C,Fan Z |
Abstract |
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers and is characterized by high recurrence and heterogeneity, yet its mechanism is not well understood. Here we show that N 1 -methyladenosine methylation (m 1 A) in tRNA is remarkably elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient tumour tissues. Moreover, m 1 A methylation signals are increased in liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) and are negatively correlated with HCC patient survival. TRMT6 and TRMT61A, forming m 1 A methyltransferase complex, are highly expressed in advanced HCC tumours and are negatively correlated with HCC survival. TRMT6/TRMT61A-mediated m 1 A methylation is required for liver tumourigenesis. Mechanistically, TRMT6/TRMT61A elevates the m 1 A methylation in a subset of tRNA to increase PPARδ translation, which in turn triggers cholesterol synthesis to activate Hedgehog signaling, eventually driving self-renewal of liver CSCs and tumourigenesis. Finally, we identify a potent inhibitor against TRMT6/TRMT61A complex that exerts effective therapeutic effect on liver cancer. © 2021. The Author(s). |