2. Academic Validation
  3. Roles of METTL3 in cancer: mechanisms and therapeutic targeting

Roles of METTL3 in cancer: mechanisms and therapeutic targeting

  • J Hematol Oncol. 2020 Aug 27;13(1):117. doi: 10.1186/s13045-020-00951-w.
Chengwu Zeng 1 2,  Wanxu Huang 1 3,  Yangqiu Li 4,  Hengyou Weng 5 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, 510005, China.
  • 2 Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
  • 3 The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510700, China.
  • 4 Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China. yangqiuli@hotmail.com.
  • 5 Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, 510005, China. weng_hengyou@grmh-gdl.cn.
  • 6 Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China. weng_hengyou@grmh-gdl.cn.
PMID: 32854717 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-020-00951-w
Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant mRNA modification and is catalyzed by the methyltransferase complex, in which methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) is the sole catalytic subunit. Accumulating evidence in recent years reveals that METTL3 plays key roles in a variety of Cancer types, either dependent or independent on its m6A RNA methyltransferase activity. While the roles of m6A modifications in Cancer have been extensively reviewed elsewhere, the critical functions of METTL3 in various types of Cancer, as well as the potential targeting of METTL3 as Cancer treatment, have not yet been highlighted. Here we summarize our current understanding both on the oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions of METTL3, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. The well-documented protein structure of the METTL3/METTL14 heterodimer provides the basis for potential therapeutic targeting, which is also discussed in this review.

Keywords

Cancer; Drug discovery; METTL3; Non-coding RNA; RNA modification; m6A.

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