The Nine RNA Methylation Regulatory Gene Signature Is Associated with the Pathogenesis of Atrial Fibrillation by Modulating the Immune Microenvironment in the Atrial Tissues

Background. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmias and a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related deaths globally. RNA methylation is the most frequent posttranscriptional modification in the eukaryotic RNAs. Previous studies have demonstrated close associations between the status of RNA methylation and CVD. Methods. We comprehensively evaluated the relationship between RNA methylation and AF. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression analysis was used to establish a risk score model in AF. Biological functional analysis was used to explore the relationship between RNA methylation related signatures and immune microenvironment characteristics. Machine learning was used to recognize the outstanding RNA methylation regulators in AF. Results. There was a significant variant of the mRNA expression of RNA methylation regulators in AF. RNA methylation related risk score could predict the onset of AF and closely associated with immune microenvironment features. XG-Boost algorithm and SHAP recognized that NSUN3 and DCPS might play a key role in the development of AF. Meanwhile, NSUN3 and DCPS had potential diagnostic value in AF. Conclusion. RNA methylation regulatory genes are associated with the onset of AF by modulating the immune microenvironment. The nine AF risk-related RNA methylation regulatory gene signature is a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for AF.