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25 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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METTL3
methyltransferase 3, N6-adenosine-methyltransferase complex catalytic subunit
Chromosome 14 · 14q11.2
NCBI Gene: 56339Ensembl: ENSG00000165819.13HGNC: HGNC:17563UniProt: Q86U44
422PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly StudiedTrending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
RNA methylationnegative regulation of type I interferon-mediated signaling pathwaymRNA processingDNA damage responseneurodegenerative diseaseneoplasmcolorectal carcinomahepatocellular carcinoma
✦AI Summary

METTL3 is the catalytic subunit of the METTL3-METTL14 heterodimeric complex that deposits N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications on adenosine residues within the consensus sequence 5'-[AG]GAC-3' in mRNAs and other RNAs 1 2. While METTL3 provides catalytic activity, METTL14 plays a critical structural role essential for substrate recognition 2. m6A modifications regulate mRNA stability, processing, and translation efficiency, with methylation generally promoting mRNA destabilization and degradation in the nucleoplasm 2. METTL3 also functions as a positive regulator of translation independently of its methyltransferase activity by interacting with translation initiation machinery in the cytoplasm 3. METTL3 regulates diverse biological processes including circadian rhythms, stem cell differentiation, DNA damage responses, T-cell homeostasis, and primary miRNA processing 2. Additionally, METTL3 maintains nucleoli integrity in embryonic stem cells by facilitating SUV39H1/H2 degradation through the CRL4 E3 ubiquitin ligase 4. Clinically, METTL3 overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in multiple cancers. In colorectal cancer, elevated METTL3 promotes JAK1/STAT3 signaling activation through both m6A-dependent translation enhancement and m6A-independent transcriptional regulation 5. In breast cancer, the METTL3/m6A/IGF2BP3 axis stabilizes PD-L1 mRNA, promoting immune escape 6. In tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells, lactate-driven METTL3 upregulation enhances JAK1 translation and immunosuppression 7. These findings position METTL3 as a therapeutic target in cancer immunotherapy.

Sources cited
1
METTL3-METTL14 heterodimer catalyzes m6A methylation; METTL3 is the previously known m6A methyltransferase
PMID: 24316715
2
METTL3 provides catalytic activity while METTL14 plays structural role in substrate recognition; crystal structure evidence of the complex
PMID: 27373337
3
METTL3 promotes translation through interaction with translation initiation machinery in cytoplasm independently of methyltransferase activity; elevated in lung cancer
PMID: 27117702
4
METTL3/METTL14 maintain nucleoli integrity by mediating SUV39H1/H2 degradation in human embryonic stem cells
PMID: 39169036
5
METTL3 promotes colorectal cancer through both m6A-dependent JAK1 translation enhancement and m6A-independent STAT3 transcriptional regulation
PMID: 38001065
6
METTL3/m6A/IGF2BP3 axis stabilizes PD-L1 mRNA in breast cancer to promote immune escape
PMID: 35197058
7
Lactate-induced METTL3 upregulation in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells enhances JAK1 translation and immunosuppressive capacity
PMID: 35320754
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.53Moderate
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.12Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.12Weak
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.12Weak
esophageal squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
gliomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
liver cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cervical cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ZCCHC4Protein interaction100%METTL5Protein interaction100%EIF3HProtein interaction99%MYCProtein interaction98%SMAD2Protein interaction98%SMAD3Protein interaction96%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Ovary
100%
Lung
78%
Bone Marrow
77%
Heart
62%
Liver
55%
Brain
31%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
METTL3ZCCHC4METTL5EIF3HMYCSMAD2SMAD3
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB5IL2 · 1.61 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.81LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.62 [0.48–0.81]
RankingsWhere METTL3 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #670of 20,598
    Most Researched422 · top 5%
  • #6,750of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.81
Genes detectedMETTL3
Sources retrieved25 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
25▼
1
Lactylation-driven METTL3-mediated RNA m
PMID: 35320754
Mol Cell · 2022
1.00
2
METTL3/IGF2BP3 axis inhibits tumor immune surveillance by upregulating N
PMID: 35197058
Mol Cancer · 2022
0.90
3
A METTL3-METTL14 complex mediates mammalian nuclear RNA N6-adenosine methylation.
PMID: 24316715
Nat Chem Biol · 2014
0.80
4
METTL3-mediated m6A mRNA methylation regulates neutrophil activation through targeting TLR4 signaling.
PMID: 36920907
Cell Rep · 2023
0.76
5
Emerging role of METTL3 in inflammatory diseases: mechanisms and therapeutic applications.
PMID: 37671161
Front Immunol · 2023
0.70