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METTL3 regulates exocytosis independently of m6A
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology (Faculty of Medicine). Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM). (Francesca Aguilo)ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8047-9298
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology (Faculty of Medicine). Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM). (Francesca Aguilo)
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology (Faculty of Medicine). Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM).
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology (Faculty of Medicine). Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM). (Francesca Aguilo)
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(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

RNA modification pathways are often mis-regulated in various cancers, with N6-methyladenosine (m6A) having a pivotal role in cancer progression and metastasis. Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), a core component of the m6A methyltransferase complex, functions not only as an m6A writer but also promotes tumorigenesis through m6A-independent mechanisms. Here, we show that METTL3 is mislocalized to the cytoplasm in breast cancer tumors from patients, contributing to the oncogenic phenotype. Cytoplasmic METTL3 interacts with EXOC7, a key regulator of exocytosis, promoting its stabilization. Additionally, METTL3 regulates m6A-dependent alternative splicing of EXOC7. Silencing METTL3 impairs vesicle trafficking and the breast cancer secretome – effects that do not rely on its enzymatic activity but instead involve METTL3-mediated stabilization of EXOC7 and potentially other exocyst components. Furthermore, METTL3 knockdown impairs invadopodia formation, collagen matrix invasion, and focal adhesion morphology in vitro, while inhibition of METTL3 catalytic activity does not. Our findings uncover non-catalytic roles of METTL3 in regulating exocytosis and the cancer secretome.

National Category
Cell and Molecular Biology
Research subject
molecular cell biology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-251571DOI: 10.1101/2025.05.26.656168OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-251571DiVA, id: diva2:2049417
Available from: 2026-03-30 Created: 2026-03-30 Last updated: 2026-03-31Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Functional characterization of RNA modifying enzymes in breast cancer
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Functional characterization of RNA modifying enzymes in breast cancer
2026 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

RNA modifications constitute an important layer of post-transcriptional gene regulation, yet their collective contribution to breast cancer progression remains poorly understood. While individual epitranscriptomic marks have been implicated in tumorigenesis, how distinct RNA modifications and their regulators converge to shape aggressive cancer phenotypes is largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the coordinated roles ofRNA modification pathways in breast cancer, with a focus on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). By analyzing expression patterns of 49 mRNA modification regulators in the SCAN-B breast cancer cohort, we identify subtype-specific epitranscriptomic signatures and reveal coordinated upregulation of multiple RNA modification pathways – including m6A, m5C, pseudouridine, and RNA editing – in TNBC. Several regulators within these pathways are associated with poor patient survival, and co-occurrence of m5C- and pseudouridine-related factors suggests a shared regulatory module linked to enhanced translational activity. We further demonstrate that dynamic m6A regulation contributes to TNBC adaptation under hypoxic stress. Using single-nucleotide–resolution m6A mapping combined with translation and mRNA stability profiling, we show that hypoxia-induced m6A deposition within coding regions is associated with ribosome collision and increased transcript stability, challenging the prevailing view of m6A as a predominantly destabilizing modification. In parallel, we uncover non-canonical functions of the m6A methyltransferase METTL3, showing that cytoplasmic METTL3 promotes vesicle trafficking and invasive behavior independently of its catalytic activity through interaction with the exocyst component EXOC7. Finally, we identify a role for ribosomal RNA 2′-O-methylation in TNBC aggressiveness, demonstrating that fibrillarin-dependent ribosome remodeling selectively regulates oncogenic translation programs. Together, these findings reveal that coordinated RNA modification pathways and non-traditional functions of epitranscriptomic regulators converge to drive translational reprogramming and aggressive behavior in breast cancer.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Umeå: Umeå University, 2026. p. 48
Series
Umeå University medical dissertations, ISSN 0346-6612 ; 2411
Keywords
RNA modifications, m6A, METTL3, hypoxia, exocytosis, translation, breast cancer
National Category
Cell and Molecular Biology Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-251574 (URN)978-91-8070-933-0 (ISBN)978-91-8070-934-7 (ISBN)
Public defence
2026-04-24, Major Groove, Norrlands uniersitetssjukhus, Umeå, 09:00 (English)
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Available from: 2026-04-02 Created: 2026-03-30 Last updated: 2026-04-02Bibliographically approved

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Esteva-Socias, MargalidaBhattarai, Devi PrasadAchour, CyrinneKumari, KanchanSeier, KerstinPace, HudsonMalla, SandhyaZhu, ShaochunLundin, EvaBally, MartaMateus, AndréAguilo, Francesca

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Esteva-Socias, MargalidaBhattarai, Devi PrasadAchour, CyrinneKumari, KanchanSeier, KerstinPace, HudsonMalla, SandhyaZhu, ShaochunLundin, EvaBally, MartaMateus, AndréAguilo, Francesca
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Department of Molecular Biology (Faculty of Medicine)Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM)Department of Clinical MicrobiologyUmeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR)Department of ChemistryDepartment of Medical BiosciencesMolecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS)
Cell and Molecular Biology

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