The Role of METTL3 in the Progression of Cardiac Fibrosis

Abstract

Cardiac fibrosis is known as the expansion of the cardiac interstitium through excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins; this process is performed by a multifunctional cell known as the cardiac fibroblast. After the myocardial injury, these cells are activated as a repair program, increase, and switch to a contractile phenotype, which is evidenced by an increase in alpha- smooth muscle actin. Likewise, there is an increase in type I and III collagen, which are considered profibrotic biomarkers. It is believed that one of the proteins involved in cardiac remodeling is METTL3, which is the enzyme responsible for N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, the most common and abundant epigenetic modification of eukaryotic mRNA. This review focuses on recent studies in which the possible role of METTL3 in the progression of fibrosis has been demonstrated, mainly in cardiac fibrogenesis.

Keywords: Cardiac fibrosis; Cardiac myofibroblasts; Cardiac remodeling; Extracellular matrix; METTL3; N6-methyladenosine..