The METTL3-m6A Epitranscriptome: Dynamic Regulator of Epithelial Development, Differentiation, and Cancer

Genes

Alexandra Maldonado López¹  Brian C. Capell¹ 

[1] Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;

关键词: RNA;    epigenetics;    epitranscriptomics;    m⁶A;    METTL3;    epithelial;   

DOI  :  10.3390/genes12071019

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Dynamic modifications on RNA, frequently termed both, “RNA epigenetics” and “epitranscriptomics”, offer one of the most exciting emerging areas of gene regulation and biomedicine. Similar to chromatin-based epigenetic mechanisms, writers, readers, and erasers regulate both the presence and interpretation of these modifications, thereby adding further nuance to the control of gene expression. In particular, the most abundant modification on mRNAs, N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), catalyzed by methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) has been shown to play a critical role in self-renewing somatic epithelia, fine-tuning the balance between development, differentiation, and cancer, particularly in the case of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which in aggregate, outnumber all other human cancers. Along with the development of targeted inhibitors of epitranscriptomic modulators (e.g., METTL3) now entering clinical trials, the field holds significant promise for treating these abundant cancers. Here, we present the most current summary of this work, while also highlighting the therapeutic potential of these discoveries.

【 授权许可】

Unknown