N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most common internal RNA modifications in eukaryotes. It is a dynamic and reversible process that requires an orchestrated participation of methyltransferase, demethylase, and methylated binding protein. m6A modification can affect RNA degradation, translation, and microRNA processing. m6A plays an important role in the regulation of various processes in living organisms. In addition to being involved in normal physiological processes such as sperm development, immunity, fat differentiation, cell development, and differentiation, it is also involved in tumor progression and stem cell differentiation. Curiously enough, cancer stem cells, a rare group of cells present in malignant tumors, retain the characteristics of stem cells and play an important role in the survival, proliferation, metastasis, and recurrence of cancers. Recently, studies demonstrated that m6A participates in the self-renewal and pluripotent regulation of these stem cells. However, considering that multiple targets of m6A are involved in different physiological processes, the exact role of m6A in cancer progression remains controversial. This article focuses on the mechanism of m6A and its effects on the differentiation of cancer stem cells, to provide a basis for elucidating the tumorigenesis mechanisms and exploring new potential therapeutic approaches.

N6-甲基腺苷（m6A）是真核生物中最常见的内部RNA修饰之一。这是一个动态且可逆的过程，需要甲基转移酶，脱甲基酶和甲基化结合蛋白的精心参与。m6A修饰可影响RNA降解，翻译和microRNA加工。m6A在调节生物体各种过程中起着重要作用。除了参与诸如精子发育，免疫力，脂肪分化，细胞发育和分化等正常生理过程外，它还参与肿瘤进展和干细胞分化。奇怪的是，癌症干细胞是恶性肿瘤中罕见的一组细胞，保留了干细胞的特征，并在存活，增殖，转移，和癌症的复发。最近，研究表明m6A参与了这些干细胞的自我更新和多能性调节。但是，考虑到m6A的多个靶标涉及不同的生理过程，因此m6A在癌症进展中的确切作用仍存在争议。本文重点研究m6A的作用机制及其对癌症干细胞分化的影响，为阐明肿瘤发生机制和探索新的潜在治疗方法提供基础。