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Review
. 2021 May 11:9:674919.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.674919. eCollection 2021.

The Role of RNA Methyltransferase METTL3 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results and Perspectives

Fan Pan  1 , Xin-Rong Lin  1 , Li-Ping Hao  1 , Xiao-Yuan Chu  1 , Hai-Jun Wan  2 , Rui Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

The Role of RNA Methyltransferase METTL3 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results and Perspectives

Fan Pan et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most prevalent cancer and the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Mechanisms explaining the carcinogenesis of HCC are not clear yet. In recent years, rapid development of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification provides a fresh approach to disclosing this mystery. As the most prevalent mRNA modification in eukaryotes, m6A modification is capable to post-transcriptionally affect RNA splicing, stability, and translation, thus participating in a variety of biological and pathological processes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, tumor invasion and metastasis. METTL3 has been recognized as a pivotal methyltransferase and essential to the performance of m6A modification. METTL3 can regulate RNA expression in a m6A-dependent manner and contribute to the carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and drug resistance of HCC. In the present review, we are going to make a clear summary of the known roles of METTL3 in HCC, and explicitly narrate the potential mechanisms for these roles.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; METTL3; RNA modification; drug-resistance; m6A.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Dynamic and reversible regulation of m6A modification by regulators including “writers,” “readers,” and “erasers.” M6A “writers” serve as methyltransferases, such as WTAP and METTL3/14. M6A “readers” help recognize and bind to m6A-modified transcripts, like YTHDF1/2 and YTHDC1. M6A “erasers” have the ability for demethylation, such as FTO and ALKBH5.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Roles of METTL3 as a methyltransferase in HCC. Different targets of METTL3 are associated with diverse signaling pathways and biological processes, which contribute to the different influences of METTL3 on HCC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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