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6 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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METTL2A
methyltransferase 2A, tRNA N3-cytidine
Chromosome 17 · 17q23.2
NCBI Gene: 339175Ensembl: ENSG00000087995.17HGNC: HGNC:25755UniProt: B3KM33
24PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingtRNA modificationtRNA methylationcytoplasmcancerbrain cancerneoplasmbreast cancer
✦AI Summary

METTL2A is an S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent methyltransferase that catalyzes N(3)-methylcytidine (m3C) modification at position 32 of the anticodon loop in specific transfer RNAs, including tRNA(Thr)(UGU) and tRNA(Arg)(CCU) 12. This modification requires prior N6-threonylcarbamoylation (t6A37) by the EKC/KEOPS complex as a prerequisite 2. METTL2A functions within a subfamily of m3C methyltransferases that employ mutually exclusive substrate selection, with METTL2A preferentially modifying threonine tRNAs while METTL6 targets serine tRNAs 23. m3C32 modifications regulate translation of specific codon-biased mRNAs, particularly those enriched in AGU codons encoding cell cycle and DNA repair proteins 3. Beyond canonical tRNA substrates, METTL2A deposits m3C marks in polyadenylated mRNAs and mitochondrial RNAs, enriched within CC motifs and coding sequences 4. Clinically, METTL2A is frequently amplified (~7%) in breast invasive carcinoma and associated with poor overall survival, functioning as a potential oncogene through activation of DNA synthesis and proliferation pathways 5. METTL2A upregulation also correlates with poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer and is essential for pancreatic cancer cell proliferation 4.

Sources cited
1
METTL2A catalyzes N(3)-methylcytidine modification at position 32 of tRNA(Thr)(UGU) and tRNA(Arg)(CCU)
PMID: 28655767
2
m3C32 modification requires prerequisite t6A37; METTL2A preferentially modifies tRNA(Thr) with mutually exclusive substrate selection strategy
PMID: 34268557
3
METTL2A/2B modifies tRNA-arginine and tRNA-threonine; m3C32 required for serine codon-biased translation of cell cycle and DNA repair genes
PMID: 38982125
4
METTL2A has ~7% amplification frequency in breast invasive carcinoma; independent predictor of poor overall survival
PMID: 36266694
5
METTL2A deposits m3C marks in poly(A) RNA and mitochondrial RNA; upregulated in pancreatic cancer with poor prognosis
PMID: 41167818
Disease Associationsⓘ20
cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
brain cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
femoral neck fractureOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Invasive Breast CarcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
pancreatic adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
mesotheliomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
esophageal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
adrenal cortex carcinomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
breast neoplasmOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
diffuse large B-cell lymphomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
readingOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
rectal adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Uveal MelanomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
METTL2BShared pathway53%METTL6Shared pathway53%TRDMT1Shared pathway50%METTL1Shared pathway50%LCMT2Shared pathway50%TYW2Shared pathway50%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Heart
67%
Liver
62%
Lung
41%
Ovary
40%
Bone Marrow
37%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
METTL2AMETTL2BMETTL6TRDMT1METTL1LCMT2TYW2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q96IZ6
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.24LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.96 [0.75–1.24]
RankingsWhere METTL2A stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #13,237of 20,598
    Most Researched24
  • #13,087of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.24
Genes detectedMETTL2A
Sources retrieved6 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
6▼
1
m
PMID: 38982125
Nat Commun · 2024
1.00
2
Integrative analysis of m3C associated genes reveals METTL2A as a potential oncogene in breast Cancer.
PMID: 36266694
J Transl Med · 2022
0.83
3
Nanopore direct RNA sequencing reveals METTL2A-mediated m
PMID: 41167818
Genome Res · 2025
0.67
4
Mitochondrial RNA m
PMID: 37573249
Sci Bull (Beijing) · 2023
0.50
5
Mutually exclusive substrate selection strategy by human m3C RNA transferases METTL2A and METTL6.
PMID: 34268557
Nucleic Acids Res · 2021
0.33