METTL14-mediated RNA methylation in digestive system tumors

Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is one of the most common post-transcriptional modification mechanism in eukaryotes. m6A is involved in almost all stages of the mRNA life cycle, specifically regulating its stability, splicing, export and translation. Methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14) is a particularly important m6A methylation 'writer' that can recognize RNA substrates. METTL14 has been documented to improve the activity and catalytic efficiency of METTL3. However, as individual proteins they can also regulate different biological processes. Malignancies in the digestive system are some of the most common malignancies found in humans, which are typically associated with poor prognoses with limited clinical solutions. METTL14-mediated methylation has been implicated in both the potentiation and inhibition of digestive system tumor growth, cell invasion and metastasis, in addition to drug resistance. In the present review, the research progress and regulatory mechanisms of METTL14-mediated methylation in digestive system malignancies were summarized. In addition, future research directions and the potential for its clinical application were examined.