METTL16 exerts an m⁶A-independent function to facilitate translation and tumorigenesis.

ABSTRACT: METTL16 has recently been identified as an RNA methyltransferase responsible for the deposition of N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) in a few transcripts. Whether METTL16 methylates a large set of transcripts, similar to METTL3 and METTL14, remains unclear. Here we show that METTL16 exerts both methyltransferase activity-dependent and -independent functions in gene regulation. In the cell nucleus, METTL16 functions as an m⁶A writer to deposit m⁶A into hundreds of its specific messenger RNA targets. In the cytosol, METTL16 promotes translation in an m⁶A-independent manner. More specifically, METTL16 directly interacts with the eukaryotic initiation factors 3a and -b as well as ribosomal RNA through its Mtase domain, thereby facilitating the asse

SUBMITTER: Su R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9070413 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature