METTL3 [MD240R]

The METTL3-METTL14 heterodimer forms a N6-methyltransferase complex that methylates adenosine residues at the N6 position of some mRNAs and regulates the circadian clock, differentiation of embryonic stem cells and cortical neurogenesis. METTL3 functions as the catalytic methyltransferase subunit and METTL14 functions as the target recognition subunit by binding to RNA. The Wilms tumor 1-associated protein (WTAP) functions as a regulatory subunit and is required for accumulation of the complex to nuclear speckles, which are sites of RNA processing. Several studies suggest a role for this complex in cancer. METTL3 expression is elevated in lung adenocarcinoma where it promotes growth, survival, and invasion of human lung cancer cells. WTAP is overexpressed in a number of different cancers and positively regulates cell migration and invasion in glioblastoma and cholangiocarcinoma.