The field of epitranscriptomics encompasses the study of post-transcriptional RNA modifications and their regulatory enzymes. Among the numerous RNA modifications, N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) has been identified as the most common internal modification of messenger RNA (mRNA). Although m⁶A modifications were first discovered in the 1970s, advances in technology have revived interest in this field, driving an abundance of research into the role of RNA modifications in various biological processes, including cancer. As analogs to epigenetic modifications, RNA modifications also play an important role in carcinogenesis by regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. A growing body of evidence suggests that carcinogens can modulate RNA modifications to alter the expression of oncogenes or tumor suppressors during cellular transformation. Additionally, the expression and activity of the enzymes that regulate RNA modifications can be dysregulated and contribute to carcinogenesis, making these enzymes promising targets of drug discovery. Here we summarize the roles of RNA modifications during carcinogenesis induced by exposure to various environmental carcinogens, with a main focus on the roles of the most widely studied m⁶A mRNA methylation.

中文翻译：

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RNA修饰在致癌和致癌物损伤反应中的作用

表观转录组学领域涵盖转录后 RNA 修饰及其调节酶的研究。在众多的RNA修饰中，N ⁶ -甲基腺苷(m ⁶ A)已被确定为信使RNA (mRNA)最常见的内部修饰。尽管 m ⁶ A 修饰首次被发现于 20 世纪 70 年代，但技术的进步重新激发了人们对该领域的兴趣，推动了对 RNA 修饰在包括癌症在内的各种生物过程中的作用的大量研究。与表观遗传修饰类似，RNA 修饰也通过转录后调节基因表达在癌发生中发挥重要作用。越来越多的证据表明，致癌物可以调节 RNA 修饰，从而改变细胞转化过程中癌基因或抑癌基因的表达。此外，调节 RNA 修饰的酶的表达和活性可能失调并导致致癌，使这些酶成为药物发现的有希望的目标。在这里，我们总结了 RNA 修饰在暴露于各种环境致癌物诱发的致癌过程中的作用，主要关注研究最广泛的 m ⁶ A mRNA 甲基化的作用。