Novel roles of METTL1/WDR4 in tumor via m7G methylation

Wenli Cheng; Aili Gao; Hui Lin; Wenjuan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.omto.2022.05.009

Novel roles of METTL1/WDR4 in tumor via m⁷G methylation

Mol Ther Oncolytics. 2022 Jun 7:26:27-34. doi: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.05.009. eCollection 2022 Sep 15.

Authors

Wenli Cheng¹, Aili Gao², Hui Lin³, Wenjuan Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P.R. China.
² Guangzhou Institution of Dermatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, P.R. China.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P. R. China.

Abstract

As one of the prevalent posttranscriptional modifications of RNA, N⁷-methylguanosine (m⁷G) plays essential roles in RNA processing, metabolism, and function, mainly regulated by the methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1) and WD repeat domain 4 (WDR4) complex. Emerging evidence suggests that the METTL1/WDR4 complex promoted or inhibited the processes of many tumors, including head and neck, lung, liver, colon, bladder cancer, and teratoma, dependent on close m⁷G methylation modification of tRNA or microRNA (miRNA). Therefore, METTL1 and m⁷G modification can be used as biomarkers or potential intervention targets, providing new possibilities for early diagnosis and treatment of tumors. This review will mainly focus on the mechanisms of METTL1/WDR4 via m⁷G in tumorigenesis and the corresponding detection methods.

Keywords: METTL1; N7-methylguanosine; WDR4; tRNA; tumor.

Publication types

Review