Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Software-Assisted Quantitative Measurement of Osteoarthritic Subchondral Bone Thickness
08:52

Software-Assisted Quantitative Measurement of Osteoarthritic Subchondral Bone Thickness

Published on: March 18, 2022

3.4K

NSUN3-mediated m5C modification of FABP5 regulates lipid droplets through autophagy to alleviate osteoarthritis

Ziwei Luo1, Yuanxian Liu2, Baorong Cheng1

  • 1Shenzhen Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shenzhen 518104, PR China; Shenzhen Clinical College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen 518104, PR China.

Cellular Signalling
|November 12, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Osteoarthritis (OA) involves lipid droplets (LDs). Researchers found that NSUN3, a methyltransferase, alleviates OA by enhancing autophagy and stabilizing FABP5 mRNA, suggesting NSUN3 as a potential therapeutic target for OA and LD-related diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Lipid droplets (LDs) are implicated in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis.
  • The role of RNA 5-Methylcytosine (m5C) modification in OA is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of NSUN3, a methyltransferase, in OA.
  • To explore the mechanism by which NSUN3 affects OA progression.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of NSUN family methyltransferase expression in OA.
  • Overexpression and knockdown of NSUN3 in chondrocytes.
  • Assessment of autophagy and lipid accumulation.
  • Investigation of NSUN3's effect on FABP5 mRNA stability.
  • In vivo study using a rat model of OA with AAV-NSUN3 injection.

Main Results:

  • NSUN3 was significantly downregulated in OA.
  • NSUN3 overexpression reduced OA symptoms by promoting autophagy and clearing lipid accumulation in chondrocytes.
  • NSUN3 mediated m5C modification of FABP5 mRNA, increasing its stability.
  • AAV-NSUN3 injection attenuated OA in a rat model.

Conclusions:

  • NSUN3 plays a protective role in OA by regulating lipid metabolism and autophagy.
  • NSUN3's mechanism involves m5C modification of FABP5 mRNA.
  • NSUN3 represents a potential therapeutic target for OA and other diseases characterized by dysregulated lipid droplets.
Keywords:
AutophagyFABP5LipidNSUN3Osteoarthritis

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting01:45

Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting

Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
3.2K