Effects of N6-methyladenosine methylation regulators on prognosis and cell biological behaviors of colorectal cancer

Objective To investigate the effects of N6-methyladenosine (M6A) related genes on the prognosis and cell biological behaviors of colorectal cancer. Methods The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) for colorectal cancer and the expression profile data of 21 M6A-related genes were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the differential genes were analyzed with R software. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were further conducted, and prognostic related M6A genes were screened by univariate Cox regression analysis. The risk prediction model was then established with LASSO algorithm. In addition, differentially expressed lncRNA associated with colorectal cancer (DElncRNA) were screened out, and a co-expression network with M6A-related genes was subsequently established. Moreover, RT-qPCR was performed to determine the gene expression of fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) in colorectal cancer tissues. After FMR1 gene was knocked out in colorectal cancer cells, the cell proliferation, m