WTAP overexpression in M2-polarized human THP-1 macrophages: transcriptome profiling

We found that the m6A writer WTAP is preferentially expressed in M1 rather than M2 macrophages and that its level influences macrophage polarization. To define the WTAP-dependent transcriptional program in macrophages, we performed bulk mRNA sequencing of IL-4-polarized M2 macrophages derived from the human monocytic cell line THP-1 after transient transfection with a WTAP-overexpressing plasmid (pcDNA3.1-WTAP, OE group) or the corresponding empty vector (pcDNA3.1, NC group), with three biological replicates per group.

Intersecting the differentially expressed genes with immune-related gene sets identified MYO1G as a WTAP-responsive candidate. WTAP was subsequently shown to increase the m6A level and the stability of MYO1G mRNA, thereby driving an M1-like phenotype and suppressing the proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. This series contains the bulk RNA-seq data underlying that analysis.