Abstract
BACKGROUND: N7-methylguanosine (m(7)G) modification is one of the most prevalent RNA modifications in humans. Dysregulated m(7)G modifications caused by aberrant expression of m(7)G writers contribute to cancer progression and result in worse patient survival in several human cancers. However, studies that systematically assess the frequency and clinical relevance of aberrant m(7)G writer expression in a pan-cancer cohort remain to be performed. AIMS: This study aims to systematically investigate the molecular alteration and clinical relevance of m(7)G methyltransferase in human cancers. METHODS: We analysed genome, transcriptome and clinical data from the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network spanning 33 types of human cancers for aberrant changes in genes encoding m(7)G writers. RESULT: We demonstrate that m(7)G writers are dysregulated in human cancers and are associated predominantly with poorer survival. By dividing patients into those with high and low m(7)G scores, we show that a lower m(7)G score is generally associated with immune infiltration and better response to immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our analyses indicate the genetic alterations, expression patterns and clinical relevance of m(7)G writers across various cancers. This study provides insights into the potential utility of m(7)G writer expression as a cancer biomarker and proposes the possibility of targeting m(7)G writers for cancer therapy.