m6A modification regulates lung fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition through modulating KCNH6 mRNA translation

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, fatal lung disease characterized by progressive and non-reversible abnormal matrix deposition in lung parenchyma. Myofibroblasts originating mainly from resident fibroblasts via fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT) are the dominant collagen-producing cells in pulmonary fibrosis. N-methyladenosine (mA) modification has been implicated in various biological processes. However, the role of mA modification in pulmonary fibrosis remains elusive. In this study, we reveal that mA modification is upregulated in a bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model, FMT-derived myofibroblasts, and IPF patient lung samples. Lowering mA levels through silencing methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) inhibits the FMT process in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, KCNH6 is involved in the mA-regulated FMT process. mA modification regulates the expression of KCNH6 by modulating its translation in a YTH-domain family 1 (YTHDF1)-dependent manner. Together, our study highlights the critical role of mA modification in pulmonary fibrosis. Manipulation of mA modification through targeting METTL3 may become a promising strategy for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.