N6-methyladenosine modification of LATS2 promotes hepatoblastoma progression by inhibiting ferroptosis through the YAP1/ATF4/PSAT1 axis.

Ferroptosis has attracted extensive interest from cancer researchers due to its substantial potential as a therapeutic target. The role of LATS2, a core component of the Hippo pathway cascade, in ferroptosis initiation in hepatoblastoma (HB) has not yet been investigated. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of decreased LATS2 expression remains largely unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated decreased LATS2 expression in HB and that LATS2 overexpression inhibits HB cell proliferation by inducing ferroptosis. Increased LATS2 expression reduced glycine and cysteine concentrations via the ATF4/PSAT1 axis. Physical binding between YAP1/ATF4 and the PSAT1 promoter was confirmed through ChIP‒qPCR. Moreover, METTL3 was identified as the writer of the LATS2 mRNA m6A modification at a specific site in the 5' UTR. Subsequently, YTHDF2 recognizes the m6A modification site and recruits the CCR4-NOT complex, leading to its degradation by mRNA deadenylation. In summary, N6-methyladenosine modification of LATS2 facilitates its degradation. Reduced LATS2 expression promotes hepatoblastoma progression by inhibiting ferroptosis through the YAP1/ATF4/PSAT1 axis. Targeting LATS2 is a potential strategy for HB therapy.