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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Systems Immunology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1456891
This article is part of the Research Topic Deciphering the Intricate Relationship between Epigenetics and Transcription in Immune System Regulation View all 5 articles

The indispensability of methyltransferase-like 3 in the immune system: From maintaining homeostasis to driving function

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 2 First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Methyltransferase-like 3(METTL3), recognized as the primary N 6 -methyladenosine methyltransferase, influences cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, invasion, differentiation, and fate determination by regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. Recent studies have highlighted the indispensability of METTL3 in various immune cells such as hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, innate immune cells (monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells), and adaptive immune cells (thymic epithelial cell, T cells, natural killer cells). However, a comprehensive summary and analysis of these findings to elucidate the relationship between METTL3 and the immune system is yet to be undertaken. Therefore, in this review, we systematically collate reports detailing the mechanism underlying the role of METTL3 in regulating various immune processes and examine the modification of METTL3 and its potential implications. This review suggests that METTL3 plays an essential role in the immune system, ranging from maintaining homeostasis to regulating functions. Collectively, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between METTL3 and the immune system, serving convenient researchers to understand the frontiers of immunological research and facilitate future clinical applications.

    Keywords: methyltransferase-like 3, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, innate immune cells, adaptive immune cells, Immune homeostasis

    Received: 29 Jun 2024; Accepted: 17 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Gou, Qu and Su. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaojuan Su, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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