ALKBH5 impacts malignancy of hepatocellular carcinoma via m6A-mediated epigenetic modulation

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is implicated in the tumorigenicity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) is one of the m6A demethylases, and it has not been well characterized in HCC. In our study we clarify the biological roles and potential mechanisms of ALKBH5 in HCC. We identify the expression profile of ALKBH5 in HCC and find that it serves as an independent prognostic factor of HCC survival. It impacts the proliferation and invasion capability of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. ALKBH5-mediated m6A demethylation leads to a post-transcriptional modulation of LYPD1. In addition, we reveal the tumor-related behaviors of LYPD1. Overall design: We employed MeRIP-seq analyses in ALKBH5-overexpressed (OE) and negative control (NC) HCCLM3 cells to explore the features and distribution dynamics of ALKBH5-mediated RNA m6A modification.