Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) has been reported to accelerate angiogenesis in malignant
tumors, yet the mechanism underlying VM has not been fully elucidated.
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mainly modulates
mRNA fate and affects multiple
tumorigenesis. Here, we aimed to investigate m6A-modified HOXA transcript
antisense RNA myeloid-specific 1 (HOTAIRM1) in the regulation of
glioma-associated VM formation. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. Cell viability,
metastases, and VM formation capacity were determined by
CCK-8, migration and invasion, as well as tube formation assays, respectively. The function and mechanisms of m6A-modified HOTAIRM1 were defined through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
m6A quantification, methylated
RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing, RNA stability assays, and
RNA pull-down experiments. A
glioma xenograft mouse model was further established for VM evaluation in vivo. The results showed that HOTAIRM1,
methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), and
insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) were upregulated in
glioma tissues and cell lines. HOTAIRM1 functions as an oncogene in
glioma progression; however, knockdown of HOTAIRM1 significantly reduced cell viability, migration, invasion, and VM formation. Notably, METTL3-dependent
m6A modification enhanced HOTAIRM1 mRNA stability, whereas knockdown of METTL3 deficiency significantly suppressed VM in
glioma. Moreover, HOTAIRM1 was found to bind IGFBP2, and HOTAIRM1 deficiency blocked
glioma progression and VM formation in vivo. Our results indicated that METTL3-dependent m6A-modified HOTAIRM1 promoted VM formation in
glioma.