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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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METRNL
meteorin like, glial cell differentiation regulator
Chromosome 17 · 17q25.3
NCBI Gene: 284207Ensembl: ENSG00000176845.13HGNC: HGNC:27584UniProt: Q641Q3
31PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
extracellular exosomeresponse to coldresponse to muscle activityfat cell differentiationcataractcolorectal cancerpolyp of colonhypertension
✦AI Summary

METRNL (meteorin-like) is a secreted cytokine/myokine with pleiotropic immunometabolic functions. Primarily, METRNL is induced by exercise in skeletal muscle or cold exposure in adipose tissue and circulates systemically to promote energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis 1. Mechanistically, METRNL does not directly act on adipocytes but instead stimulates immune cell infiltration into adipose tissue, promoting eosinophil-dependent IL-4 expression and alternative macrophage activation to drive brown fat thermogenesis 1. METRNL signals via the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase on multiple cell types, including endothelial cells and immune cells 23. In disease contexts, METRNL demonstrates broad protective functions. In atopic dermatitis, METRNL enhances β-Catenin signaling to suppress Th2 inflammation and immune cell accumulation 3. In diabetic kidney disease, METRNL alleviates lipid accumulation through Sirt3-AMPK-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis 4. Following myocardial infarction, METRNL promotes angiogenesis and tissue repair via KIT-dependent endothelial expansion 2. The endothelium represents the major source of circulating METRNL (~75%), maintaining endothelial function and vascular homeostasis against atherosclerosis 5. Conversely, METRNL impairs anti-tumor CD8+ T cell metabolism by increasing mitochondrial depolarization and glycolytic dependency 6. These diverse functions position METRNL as a promising therapeutic target and biomarker for metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory diseases 7.

Sources cited
1
METRNL is a novel secreted protein with pleiotropic effects on inflammation, immunology, and metabolism; induced by exercise and cold exposure
PMID: 36911663
2
METRNL is a monocyte/macrophage-derived cytokine and high-affinity ligand for KIT receptor that promotes postinfarction angiogenesis
PMID: 35709278
3
METRNL binds KIT receptor and ameliorates atopic dermatitis by enhancing β-Catenin activation and limiting immune cell expansion
PMID: 38727640
4
METRNL alleviates diabetic kidney disease lipid accumulation through Sirt3-AMPK signaling-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis
PMID: 36812572
5
Endothelial cells are the major source of circulating METRNL (~75%); endothelial METRNL maintains eNOS phosphorylation and prevents atherosclerosis
PMID: 37139425
6
METRNL impairs anti-tumor CD8+ T cell metabolism by increasing E2F-PPARδ activity, causing mitochondrial depolarization and reduced oxidative phosphorylation
PMID: 39111315
7
METRNL is a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases
PMID: 39103830
Disease Associationsⓘ20
cataractOpen Targets
0.39Weak
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.39Weak
polyp of colonOpen Targets
0.36Weak
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.32Weak
Age-related cataractOpen Targets
0.32Weak
placenta praeviaOpen Targets
0.31Weak
senile cataractOpen Targets
0.31Weak
benign colon neoplasmOpen Targets
0.29Weak
polyp of large intestineOpen Targets
0.28Weak
lens diseaseOpen Targets
0.22Weak
colorectal adenomaOpen Targets
0.18Weak
diabetic nephropathyOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
atherosclerosisOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
subarachnoid hemorrhageOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Hepatic fibrosisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Insulin resistanceOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
isolated agammaglobulinemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
immunodeficiency due to a classical component pathway complement deficiencyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
FNDC5Shared pathway29%FFAR4Shared pathway24%ZNF516Shared pathway22%ADIGShared pathway18%BCAT2Shared pathway18%PERM1Shared pathway14%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Heart
34%
Bone Marrow
29%
Ovary
23%
Liver
15%
Brain
15%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
METRNLFNDC5FFAR4ZNF516ADIGBCAT2PERM1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q641Q3
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.85LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.11Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.47 [0.28–0.85]
RankingsWhere METRNL stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #11,743of 20,598
    Most Researched31
  • #7,378of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.85
Genes detectedMETRNL
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Meteorin-like protein/METRNL/Interleukin-41 ameliorates atopic dermatitis-like inflammation.
PMID: 38727640
Allergy · 2025
1.00
2
Metrnl Alleviates Lipid Accumulation by Modulating Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Diabetic Nephropathy.
PMID: 36812572
Diabetes · 2023
0.90
3
The cytokine Meteorin-like inhibits anti-tumor CD8
PMID: 39111315
Immunity · 2024
0.80
4
Meteorin-like/Metrnl, a novel secreted protein implicated in inflammation, immunology, and metabolism: A comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical studies.
PMID: 36911663
Front Immunol · 2023
0.70
5
Meteorin-like promotes heart repair through endothelial KIT receptor tyrosine kinase.
PMID: 35709278
Science · 2022
0.60