Alteration of the N6-methyladenosine Epitranscriptome Profile in Synthetic Phthalate-treated Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells [RNA-seq]

Background: This study aims to characterize the N6-methyladensosine epitranscriptomic profile induced by mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) exposure using a human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cell model. Methods: A multi-omic approach was employed by performing RNA sequencing in parallel with an m6A-specific microarray to identify mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs affected by MEHP exposure. Results: An integrative multi-omic analysis identified relevant biological features affected by MEHP, while functional assays provided a phenotypic characterization of these effects. Transcripts regulated by the epitranscriptome were validated with qPCR and Me-RIP. Conclusion: Our findings offer important information regarding the alterations occurring within the m6A epitranscriptome and the gene expression changes which occur in response to treatment with a synthetic phthalate in hiPSC-ECs and may be an important resource for future research. Comparative gene expression profiling analysis of RNA-seq data for three lines of hiPSC-EC treated with either DMSO or 120 µM MEHP for 72 hours.