This review led by Dr. Jiejie He, Jun Zhang, and Yan Li (Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University) provides a comprehensive overview of the METTL family, a group of methyltransferase-like proteins crucial for cellular function. METTL family members are widely distributed across the cell nucleus, cytoplasm, and mitochondria. They play a vital role in regulating gene expression by transferring methyl groups to DNA, RNA, and proteins, thereby affecting processes such as DNA replication, transcription, and mRNA translation.
The review highlights the involvement of the METTL family in both physiological and pathological conditions. It discusses their role in normal cell differentiation, maintaining mitochondrial function, and their implication in malignancies, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiovascular ailments.
Key findings from the review include:
The review emphasizes the potential of the METTL family as crucial diagnostic and therapeutic markers. Future research directions include developing drugs or antibodies targeting specific METTL family members and exploring the use of nanomaterials to deliver miRNA corresponding to METTL family mRNA.
Molecular Biomedicine
Literature review
Not applicable
METTL Family in Health and Disease
19-Aug-2024
All authors state that there are no potential competing interests.