Understanding how methyltransferase-like 3 functions in lung diseases: From pathogenesis to clinical application

Lung diseases have complex pathogenesis and treatment challenges, showing an obvious increase in the rate of diagnosis and death every year. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism for their pathogenesis and treatment ineffective from novel views is essential and urgent. Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) is a novel post-transcriptional regulator for gene expression that has been implicated in regulating lung diseases, including that observed in chronic conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis (PF), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as acute conditions such as pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, and sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome. Notably, a comprehensive summary and analysis of findings from these studies might help understand lung diseases from the novel view of METTL3-regulated mechanism, however, such a review is still lacking. Therefore, this review aims to bridge such shortage by summarising the roles of METTL3 in lung diseases, establishing their interrelationships, and elucidating the potential applications of METTL3 regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. The analysis collectively suggests METTL3 is contributable to the onset and progression of these lung diseases, thereby prospecting METTL3 as a valuable biomarker for their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. In conclusion, this review offers elucidation into the correlation between METTL3 and lung diseases in both research and clinical settings and highlights potential avenues for exploring the roles of METTL3 in the respiratory system.