Research Of The Influence Of RNA Methyltransferase METTL16 On The Expression And Cell Function Of Colon Cancer

Objective: To explore the effect of METTL16 on the biological function of colon cancer cells and the relationship between the expression of METTL16 and colon cancer development.Method: Bioinformatics analysis was performed using the Cancer Genome Atlas（TCGA）dataset to compare METTL16 expression data between colon cancer tissue and adjacent normal colon tissue.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction（q RT-PCR）was used to detect the expression of METTL16 m RNA in colon cancer tissues and adjacent tissues.Lentivirus constructs were generated to knockdown or overexpress METTL16 protein in colon cancer cell lines.The level of RNA methylation and the m RNA and protein expression level of METTL16 in transfected colon cancer cell lines were verified.CCK-8 cell proliferation assay,colony formation assay,wound healing assay,transwell migration and invasion assays and cell cycle assay were used to detect the effect of METTL16 on proliferation,migration,and invasion of colon cancer cells in vitro.The effect of METTL16 on the formation and development of colon cancer was further explored in vivo by the tumorigenesis experiments in nude mice.Results: The m RNA level of METTL16 in colon cancer tissues was higher than that in the adjacent normal colon tissues（P<0.05）.METTL16 expression was positively correlated with intracellular RNA methylation levels.In vitro cell function experiments showed that METTL16 promoted the proliferation（P<0.05）,migration and invasionand of colon cancer cells（P<0.05）.Moreover,after over-expression of METTL16,the proportion of G0/G1 in cell cycle was significantly reduced,and corresponding proportion of S and G2/M was improved.In the in vivo nude mice tumorigenesis experiments,the tumor volumes and weights in mice subcutaneously inoculated with METTL16 knockdown group cells were significantly smaller than those in the control group.Conclusions: METTL16 may be an oncogene in colon cancer cells,which is significant for the treatment of colon cancer and provides a new target for colon cancer treatment.