SUMMARY The dynamic and reversible N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification installed and erased by N6-methyltransferases and demethylases regulates gene expression and cell fate. We show that the m6A demethylase ALKBH5 is highly expressed in glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs). Silencing ALKBH5 suppresses the proliferation of patient-derived GSCs. Integrated transcriptome and m6A-seq analyses revealed altered expression of certain ALKBH5 target genes, including the transcription factor FOXM1. ALKBH5 demethylates FOXM1 nascent transcripts, leading to enhanced FOXM1 expression. Further, a long noncoding RNA antisense to FOXM1 (FOXM1-AS) promotes the interaction of ALKBH5 with FOXM1 nascent transcripts. Depleting ALKBH5 and FOXM1-AS disrupted GSC tumorigenesis through the FOXM1 axis. Our work uncovers a critical function for ALKBH5 and provides insight into critical roles of m6A methylation in glioblastoma.

Summary Development of life-threatening cancer metastases at distant organs requires disseminated tumor cells’ adaptation to and co-evolution with the drastically different microenvironments of metastatic sites1. Cancer cells of common origin manifest distinct gene expression patterns after metastasizing to different organs2. Clearly, the dynamic interplay between metastatic tumor cells and extrinsic signals at individual metastatic organ sites critically impacts the subsequent metastatic outgrowth3,4. Yet, it is unclear when and how disseminated tumor cells acquire the essential traits from the microenvironment of metastatic organs that prime their subsequent outgrowth. Here we show that primary tumor cells with normal expression of PTEN, an important tumor suppressor, lose PTEN expression after dissemination to the brain, but not to other organs. PTEN level in PTEN-loss brain metastatic tumor cells is restored after leaving brain microenvironment. This brain microenvironment-dependent, reversible PTEN mRNA and protein down-regulation is epigenetically regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs) from astrocytes. Mechanistically, astrocyte-derived exosomes mediate an intercellular transfer of PTEN-targeting miRNAs to metastatic tumor cells, while astrocyte-specific depletion of PTEN-targeting miRNAs or blockade of astrocyte exosome secretion rescues the PTEN loss and suppresses brain metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, this adaptive PTEN loss in brain metastatic tumor cells leads to an increased secretion of cytokine chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), which recruits Iba1+ myeloid cells that reciprocally enhance outgrowth of brain metastatic tumor cells via enhanced proliferation and reduced apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate a remarkable plasticity of PTEN expression in metastatic tumor cells in response to different organ microenvironments, underpinning an essential role of co-evolution between the metastatic cells and their microenvironment during the adaptive metastatic outgrowth. Our findings signify the dynamic and reciprocal cross-talk between tumor cells and the metastatic niche; importantly, they provide new opportunities for effective anti-metastasis therapies, especially of consequence for those brain metastasis patients who are in dire need.

BackgroundCircular RNAs (circRNAs) are RNA transcripts that are widespread in the eukaryotic genome. Recent evidence indicates that circRNAs play important roles in tissue development, gene regulation, and carcinogenesis. However, whether circRNAs encode functional proteins remains elusive, although translation of several circRNAs was recently reported.MethodsCircRNA deep sequencing was performed by using 10 pathologically diagnosed glioblastoma samples and their paired adjacent normal brain tissues. Northern blotting, Sanger sequencing, antibody, and liquid chromatograph Tandem Mass Spectrometer were used to confirm the existence of circ-FBXW7 and its encoded protein in in two cell lines. Lentivirus-transfected stable U251 and U373 cells were used to assess the biological functions of the novel protein in vitro and in vivo (five mice per group). Clinical implications of circ-FBXW7 were assessed in 38 pathologically diagnosed glioblastoma samples and their paired periphery normal brain tissues by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (two-sided log-rank test).ResultsCirc-FBXW7 is abundantly expressed in the normal human brain (reads per kilobase per million mapped reads [RPKM] = 9.31). The spanning junction open reading frame in circ-FBXW7 driven by internal ribosome entry site encodes a novel 21-kDa protein, which we termed FBXW7-185aa. Upregulation of FBXW7-185aa in cancer cells inhibited proliferation and cell cycle acceleration, while knockdown of FBXW7-185aa promoted malignant phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. FBXW7-185aa reduced the half-life of c-Myc by antagonizing USP28-induced c-Myc stabilization. Moreover, circ-FBXW7 and FBXW7-185aa levels were reduced in glioblastoma clinical samples compared with their paired tumor-adjacent tissues (P < .001). Circ-FBXW7 expression positively associated with glioblastoma patient overall survival (P = .03).ConclusionsEndogenous circRNA encodes a functional protein in human cells, and circ-FBXW7 and FBXW7-185aa have potential prognostic implications in brain cancer.