Advances in the functional roles of N6-methyladenosine modification in cancer progression: mechanisms and clinical implications

N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A), the methylation targeting the N 6 position of adenosine, is the most common internal modification of mRNA in eukaryotes. Considering the roles of m 6 A in regulating gene expression, the investigation of m 6 A roles in the biological processes including cell renewal, differentiation, apoptosis, and invasion of cancer cells has become a hot research topic. There are three kinds of protein involved in m 6 A regulation. The methyltransferases and demethylases cooperatively regulate the m 6 A levels, while the m 6 A reading proteins recognize the m 6 A sites and mediate multiple m 6 A-dependent biological functions including mRNA splicing, transfer, translation, and degradation. At present, a large number of studies have found that the changes of m 6 A levels in tumor cells play a very important role in the occurrence and development of tumors, as well as metastasis and invasion of tumor cells. This review summarizes the different roles of m 6 A modification in the occurrence and development of various cancers, and discusses the possibility of choosing the m 6 A related proteins as potential therapeutic targets.