TGS1 mediates mRNA 5’-cap trimethylation to promote oxidative phosphorylation in acute myeloid leukaemia

The Trimethyl guanosine Synthase (TGS1) is a highly conserved enzyme mediating di-methylation of the 5’-cap 7-methylguanosine of RNA to generate 2,2,7-trimethylguanosine (m 2,2,7 G). Known TGS1 targets include snRNAs, snoRNAs, the telomeric RNA component and a limited number of mRNAs encoding selenoproteins. TGS1 is highly expressed in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cells, and its expression correlates with poor prognosis. Here, we report that TGS1 directly methylates the cap of more than 500 mRNAs in AML cells. Specifically, we demonstrate that TGS1 modifies nuclear mRNAs encoding mitochondrial proteins, including critical components of complexes involved in both the TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, promoting their translation mediated by mitochondria associated cytosolic ribosomes. Functionally, we report that TGS1 depletion impairs mitochondrial respiration and increases oxidative stress. This, in turn, impairs the growth of AML cells causing differentiation and cell cycle arrest in vitro and in vivo . Finally, we demonstrate that TGS1 depletion sensitizes AML cells to RSL3, a small molecule promoting ferroptosis. Taken together, our findings establish TGS1 as a key regulator of oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial redox status of AML cells and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target in leukaemia.