RNA methyltransferase NSUN2 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation by repressing p57 by an mC-dependent manner.

The RNA methyltransferase NSUN2 has been involved in the cell proliferation and senescence, and is upregulated in various types of cancers. However, the role and potential mechanism of NSUN2 in gastric cancer remains to be determined. Our study showed that NSUN2 was significantly upregulated in gastric cancers, compared to adjacent normal gastric tissues. Moreover, NSUN2 could promote gastric cancer cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Further study demonstrated that CDKN1C (p57) was the potential downstream gene of regulated by NSUN2 in gastric cancer. NSUN2 could promote gastric cancer cell proliferation through repressing p57 in an mC-dependent manner. Our findings suggested that NSUN2 acted as an oncogene through promoting gastric cancer development by repressing p57 in an mC-dependent manner, which may provide a novel therapeutic target against gastric cancer.