Liao JN, Ni WJ, Wu PH, Yang YD, Yang Y, Long W, Xie MZ, Zhu XZ, Xie FH, Leng XM. Switching from messenger RNAs to noncoding RNAs, METTL3 is a novel colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment target. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(5): 104076 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i5.104076]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xiao-Min Leng, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Basic Medicine, Gannan Medical University, College Park of Rongjiang New District, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi Province, China. lengxm@mail2.sysu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jun-Nan Liao, Ping-Hui Wu, Ya-Dong Yang, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi Province, China
Wen-Juan Ni, Ying Yang, Wen Long, Mei-Zhen Xie, Xiu-Zhi Zhu, Fu-Hua Xie, Xiao-Min Leng, School of Basic Medicine, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi Province, China
Co-first authors: Jun-Nan Liao and Wen-Juan Ni.
Co-corresponding authors: Ping-Hui Wu and Xiao-Min Leng.
Author contributions: Liao JN, Ni WJ, and Wu PH wrote the main manuscript text, prepared figures 1-4, and improved the main manuscript; Yang YD, Yang Y, Long W, Xie MZ, and Zhu XZ helped to improve the main manuscript text, and prepared table 1 and table 2; Xie FH and Leng XM contributed to supervision, wrote, and improved the main manuscript text, and replied to review comments.
Supported by Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. 20242BAB25454; the Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular of Ministry of Education of Gannan Medical University, No. XN202013; Science and Technology Research Project of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education, No. GJJ201528; and Startup Foundation for Advanced Talents of Gannan Medical University, No. QD202124.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Min Leng, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Basic Medicine, Gannan Medical University, College Park of Rongjiang New District, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi Province, China. lengxm@mail2.sysu.edu.cn
Received: December 10, 2024 Revised: March 10, 2025 Accepted: April 3, 2025 Published online: May 15, 2025 Processing time: 157 Days and 1.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: METTL3 is a member of methyltransferase involved in N6-methyladenosine (m6A) generation, and its aberrant expression is usually associated with the occurrence and development of various diseases. Although METTL3 has been studied in the molecular pathological mechanisms of colorectal cancer (CRC), its function and regulatory mechanism in this disease are still unclear. Via m6A modification of both messenger RNAs and noncoding RNAs, METTL3 participates in CRC proliferation, invasion, drug resistance, and metabolism. Its molecular mechanisms are emphasized in regulating diverse signaling pathways during various CRC stages. As a potential biomarker or target in CRC, its clinical application in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment is also highlighted. By reviewing the latest research progress of METTL3 in CRC, this article provides new insights into the theoretical investigation of clinical diagnosis and targeted treatment for this disease.
