Table 2.

Roles of METTL3 as an m⁶A methyltransferase in human cancers

Role	Cancer type	Regulator	Targets	Molecular mechanism	Cellular function	Ref.
Oncogene	Acute myeloid leukemia		MYC, BCL2, PTEN	Promote translation	Differentiation, apoptosis	[73]
		CEBPZ	SP1, SP2	Promote translation	Cell cycle regulation, differentiation	[74]
	Breast cancer	let-7g	HBXIP	Promote translation (?)	Cell proliferation	[63]
			BCL2	Promote translation	Proliferation, apoptosis	[75]
	Liver cancer		SOCS2	RNA decay by YTHDF2	Proliferation, migration	[76]
			RDM1		Proliferation	[77]
			LINC00958	RNA stabilization	Lipogenesis, proliferation, migration, invasion	[78]
		SUMO1	Snail	RNA stabilization	Metastasis	[79]
			Snail	promote translation by YTHDF1	EMT	[80]
		miR24-2	miR-6097, Pim1		Tumor growth	[59]
			CTNNB1	RNA stabilization	Tumor growth	[81]
		miR-186	Wnt/β-catenin		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[60]
	Glioblastoma		SOX2	RNA stabilization by ELAVL1	Dedifferentiation	[82]
			SRSFs	Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) by YTHDC1	Tumor growth and progression	[83]
	Bladder cancer		miR-221/222	miRNA maturation	Proliferation	[84]
			AFF4, RELA, IKBKB, MYC		Proliferation, apoptosis	[85]
			ITGA6	Promote translation by YTHDF1/3	Adhesion, migration, invasion	[86]
		chemical carcinogenesis	CPCP	Promote translation	Malignant transformation	[87]
			SETD7, KLF4	RNA decay by YTHDF2	Proliferation, metastasis	[88]
	Gastric cancer	miR-4429	SEC62	RNA stabilization by IGF2BP1	Proliferation, apoptosis	[62]
			AKT signaling pathway		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[89]
		CBP/P300-mediated H3K27ac	HDGF	RNA stabilization by IGF2BP3	Tumor angiogenesis and glycolysis	[58]
			ZMYM1	RNA stabilization by ELAVL1	EMT	[90]
		LncRNA ARHGAP5-AS1	ARHGAP5 mRNA	RNA stabilization	Chemoresistance	[71]
			MYC target genes		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[91]
		LINC00470	PTEN	RNA decay by YTHDF2	Proliferation, migration, invasion	[72]
	Prostate cancer		GLI1		Proliferation, migration, apoptosis,	[92]
			MYC		Proliferation, migration, invasion.	[93]
			ITGB1	RNA stabilization	Cell adhesion	[94]
	Lung cancer	miR-600	β-catenin, TAZ, EGFR, DNMT3A		Proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis	[61]
			miR-25-3p	miRNA maturation	Brain metastasis	[95]
		TGF-β	JUNB	RNA stabilization	EMT	[96]
			YAP, MALAT1	promote translation by YTHDF1/3; RNA stabilization by YTHDF3	Drug resistance and metastasis	[97]
	Colorectal cancer		SOX2	RNA stabilization by IGF2BP2	Tumorigenesis, metastasis	[98]
			lncRNA RP11	Nucleus accumulation	Metastasis	[99]
			miR-1246	miRNA maturation	Metastasis	[100]
			HK2, SLC2A1	RNA stabilization by IGF2BP2/3	Activation of the glycolysis pathway	[101]
		Butyrate	CCNE1	RNA stabilization	Proliferation	[57]
			circNSUN2	Exporting to cytoplasm	Metastasis	[102]
			CBX8	RNA stabilization by IGF2BP1	Stemness	[103]
	Pancreatic cancer	NFIC	miR-25-3p	miRNA maturation	Proliferation, metastasis	[56]
					Proliferation, invasion	[104]
	Osteosarcoma		LEF1		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[105]
			DRG1	RNA stabilization by ELAVL1	Proliferation	[106]
			ATAD2		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[107]
	Oral squamous cell carcinoma		MYC	RNA stabilization by YTHDF1	Proliferation, invasion, migration	[108]
	Thyroid carcinoma		TCF1	RNA stabilization by IGF2BP2	Activating the Wnt pathway, migration	[109]
	Uveal melanoma		c-Met		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[110]
	Ovarian cancer		AKT		Proliferation	[111]
	Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma		LNCAROD	RNA stabilization	Proliferation, mobility	[112]
	Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma		ΔNp63		Proliferation	[113]
	Nasopharyngeal carcinoma		ZNF750		Apoptosis	[114]
Tumor suppressor	Renal cell carcinoma				Proliferation, migration, apoptosis,	[115]
	Glioblastoma		ADAM19		Self-renewal	[116]
	Endometrial cancer		PHLPP2, mTORC2	Promote translation by YTHDF1; RNA decay by YTHDF2	Proliferation	[117]
	Ocular melanoma		HINT2	Promote translation by YTHDF1	Proliferation, apoptosis	[118]
	Colorectal cancer		p38/ERK pathways		Proliferation, migration, invasion	[119]
	Bladder cancer					[120]