METTL14 promotes IL-6-induced viability, glycolysis and inflammation in HaCaT cells via the m6A modification of TRIM27

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine generated by healthy constituents of the skin, but is also up-regulated by a wide range of skin lesions and inflammatory conditions to trigger cytopathy of skin cells. TRIM27 was identified to contribute to the functional effects of IL-6 on skin cells. However, the underlying mechanism was not clear. Lentivirus infection was used for gene overexpression or silencing. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to respectively assess mRNA and protein levels. Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay. Extracellular flux analysis was used to assess the levels of oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate. Mouse back skin was treated with imiquimod to produce psoriasis-like inflammation in vivo. Histological assessment and immunohistochemistry staining were respectively applied to analyse lesioned mouse and human skin samples. IL-6-induced increased viability, glycolysis and inflammation in keratinocytes was inhibited both by a chemical methylation inhibitor and by METTL14 knockdown. Further investigation found that METTL14 induces m6A methylation of TRIM27, which is recognized by a m6A reader, IGF2BP2. Elevation of TRIM27 level and activation of IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway were found in an in vivo psoriasis-like inflammation model, whereas inhibition m6A methylation strongly alleviated the inflammation. Finally, METTL14, TRIM27, STAT3, p-STAT3 and IL-6 expressions were all found to be increased in clinical skin samples of psoriatic patients. Our results unravelled METTL14/TRIM27/IGF2BP2 signalling axis in keratinocyte cytopathy, which plays a critical role in facilitating the activation of IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway. Our findings should provide inspirations for the design of new therapeutics for skin inflammatory diseases including psoriasis.