METTL3 as a novel diagnosis and treatment biomarker and its association with glycolysis, cuproptosis and ceRNA in...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Gene Regulation

Background:

• The role of Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in oesophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is not fully understood.
• Investigating METTL3's connection to glycolysis, cuproptosis, and ceRNA networks is crucial for ESCA.
• Current knowledge gaps hinder the development of targeted therapies for ESCA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the relationship between METTL3 expression and key biological processes in ESCA.
• To explore the potential involvement of METTL3 in glycolysis, cuproptosis, and ceRNA networks within ESCA.
• To identify METTL3 as a potential therapeutic target for oesophageal carcinoma.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of ESCA expression profiles from public databases.
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for METTL3 expression assessment.
• Functional enrichment analysis (GO, KEGG, GSEA), cell experiments, qRT-PCR, and ceRNA network construction.

Main Results:

• METTL3 expression was significantly elevated in ESCA tissues compared to normal controls.
• METTL3 correlates with glycolysis and cuproptosis-related genes; METTL3 interference impacts glucose metabolism.
• Two potential ceRNA networks involving METTL3 in ESCA were successfully predicted and constructed.

Conclusions:

• METTL3 overexpression is associated with oesophageal carcinoma progression.
• METTL3 plays a role in ESCA through glycolysis, cuproptosis, and ceRNA regulatory pathways.
• METTL3 presents a promising novel therapeutic target for oesophageal carcinoma treatment.