m6A RNA methylation regulators can regulate the growth, progression, and invasion of glioma cells by regulating their target genes, which provides a reliable support for the m6A regulator–target axes as the novel therapeutic targets and clinical prognostic signature in glioma. This study aimed to explore the role and prognostic value of m6A RNA methylation regulators and their targets. Expression profiles and clinicopathological data were obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and Clinical Proteome Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) datasets. Differential expression and correlation analyses were performed between normal and glioma tissues at mRNA and protein levels. Univariate Cox regression, survival, and Lasso Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify and establish the prognostic gene signature. Kaplan–Meier curve, multivariate Cox regression analysis, and ROC were utilized to evaluate the prognostic capacity of the prognostic gene signature. The correlation analysis, systematic bioinformatics analysis, and cell experiment were performed to further understand the potential underlying molecular mechanisms and drug sensitivity. Our results suggested that IGF2BP2, KIAA1429, METTL16, and METTL3, as well as 208 targets are involved in the occurrence of glioma, GBM, and LGG. YTHDF1 and 78 targets involved the occurrence of glioma and GBM, not LGG, among which 181 genes were associated with overall survival. From other findings and our cell experiment results, we demonstrated that METTL3 can activate Notch pathway and facilitate glioma occurrence through regulating its direct targets NOTCH3, DLL3, and HES1, and Notch pathway genes may serve as the potential treatment targets for glioma. Our study established and validated a seven-gene signature comprising METTL3, COL18A1, NASP, PHLPP2, TIMP1, U2AF2, and VEGFA, with a good capability for predicting glioma survival, which may guide therapeutic customization and clinical decision-making. These genes were identified to influence 81 anticancer drug responses, which further contributes to the early phase clinical trials of drug development.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease whose etiology remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore hub genes and pathways related to IPF development and prognosis. Multiple gene expression datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified to investigate Hub modules and genes correlated with IPF. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were performed on selected key genes. In the PPI network and cytoHubba plugin, 11 hub genes were identified, including ASPN, CDH2, COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, COL14A1, CTSK, MMP1, MMP7, POSTN, and SPP1. Correlation between hub genes was displayed and validated. Expression levels of hub genes were verified using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Dysregulated expression of these genes and their crosstalk might impact the development of IPF through modulating IPF-related biological processes and signaling pathways. Among these genes, expression levels of COL1A1, COL3A1, CTSK, MMP1, MMP7, POSTN, and SPP1 were positively correlated with IPF prognosis. The present study provides further insights into individualized treatment and prognosis for IPF.

To explore the potential mechanism of cancer patients appearing more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection and poor COVID-19 outcomes, we conducted an integrative bioinformatics analysis for SARS-CoV-2-required genes and host genes and variants related to SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 severity. BLCA, HNSC, KIRC, KIRP, LGG, PCPG, PRAD, TGCT, and THCA patients carrying rs10774671-A (OAS1) genotype may be more likely to have poor COVID-19 outcomes relative to those who carry rs10774671-G, because individuals carrying rs10774671-A will have lower expression of OAS1, which serves as a protective factor against SARS-CoV-2 processes and poor COVID-19 outcomes. SARS-CoV-2-required genes were correlated with TME, immune infiltration, overall survival, and anti-cancer drug sensitivity. CHOL patients may have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than healthy subjects. SARS-CoV-2-induced ACE2 and NPC1 elevation may have a negative influence on the immune responses of LUSC and CD8+T infiltration of LUAD, and negatively affect the sensitivity of anti-lung cancer drugs. LUSC and LUAD patients may have a varying degree of adverse outcomes if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2. miR-760 may target and inhibit ACE2 expression. Cancer patients appearing vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection and having poor COVID-19 outcomes may be partly due to host genetic factors and dysregulation of SARS-CoV-2-required genes. OAS1, ACE2, and miR-760 could serve as the treatment and intervention targets for SARS-CoV-2.

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