Evolution of Methyltransferase-Like (METTL) Proteins in Metazoa: A Complex Gene Family Involved in Epitranscriptomic Regulation and Other Epigenetic Processes.

ABSTRACT: The methyltransferase-like (METTL) proteins constitute a family of seven-beta-strand methyltransferases with S-adenosyl methionine-binding domains that modify DNA, RNA, and proteins. Methylation by METTL proteins contributes to the epigenetic, and in the case of RNA modifications, epitranscriptomic regulation of a variety of biological processes. Despite their functional importance, most investigations of the substrates and functions of METTLs within metazoans have been restricted to model vertebrate taxa. In the present work, we explore the evolutionary mechanisms driving the diversification and functional differentiation of 33 individual METTL proteins across Metazoa. Our results show that METTLs are nearly ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, with most having arisen early in metazoan e

SUBMITTER: Wong JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8662637 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature