Abstract
BACKGROUND: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) exerted a pivotal role in colon cancer. Nevertheless, the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with this process have yet to be elucidated. METHODS: The open-access data used for analysis was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database for analysis, employing the R software for computational evaluations. The RNA level of specific molecules was assessed using the quantitative real-time PCR. CCK8, colony formation and transwell assay were used to evaluate the proliferation, invasion and migration ability of colon cancer cells. RESULTS: Here, we identified the m6A regulators from TCGA data and subsequently pinpointed lncRNAs with a -Cor- > 0.3 and P < 0.05, categorizing them as m6A-associated lncRNAs. Moreover, we formulated a prognosis signature rooted in ten m6A-related lncRNAs, consisting of AL360181.1, PCAT6, SNHG26, AC016876.1, AC104667.2, AL114730.3, LINC02257, AC147067.1, AP006621.3 and AC009237.14. This signature exhibited notable predictive accuracy in gauging patient survival. Immune-related evaluations revealed varied immune cell infiltration patterns across different risk groups, with our findings suggesting superior immunotherapy response in low-risk patients. Biological enrichment analysis indicated that the high-risk patients had a higher activity of multiple carcinogenic pathways, including glycolysis. The previously unreported lncRNA, AL360181.1, displayed a connection to glycolytic activity and diminished survival rates, warranting further investigation. The result indicated that AL360181.1 was correlated with more aggressive clinical characteristics. Immune infiltration assessments found AL360181.1 to have a positive correlation with Tcm infiltration, but an inverse relationship with entities like Th2 cells, T cells, neutrophils and macrophages. Biological enrichment analysis indicated that the pathways of WNT/β-catenin, pancreas beta cells, hedgehog signaling and some metabolism pathways were upregulated in high AL360181.1 patients. In vitro experiments showed that AL360181.1 was upregulated in the colon cancer cells. Moreover, AL360181.1 significantly promotes the proliferation, invasion and migration of colon cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results can provide direction for future studies on m6A-related lncRNA in colon cancer.