tRNA m1A modification promotes benign prostatic hyperplasia through translational regulation of the TGF-β pathway [RNA-seq]

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disease affecting elderly men. Although global hypermethylation has been implicated in BPH pathogenesis, the specific role of N1-methyladenosine (m1A) tRNA modifications remains unclear. Here, we find that RNA m1A modification and its methyltransferase TRMT61A were significantly upregulated in BPH tissues. Impaired m1A tRNA modification upon TRMT61A depletion resulted in decreased cell proliferation and contraction, as well as induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, TRMT61A knockdown decreased m1A-modified tRNAs, impairing global translation and altering translational efficiency of specific genes. Moreover, ribosome profiling and RNA sequencing revealed that genes with reduced translational efficiency upon TRMT61A depletion were enriched in the TGF-β signaling pathway, including TGFβR1, INHBA, SMAD2, FST, and ID2. Codon usage bias contributed to differential translational efficiency in TRMT61A-depleted cells. Our study reveals a novel mechanism by which TRMT61A promotes BPH progression through dynamic m1A tRNA modification and modulation of a codon-dependent translational network.