Researchers at Umeå University show that the protein METTL3 helps breast cancer cells spread. By regulating the release of molecules, METTL3 makes it easier for tumors to invade surrounding tissue and form metastases. The discovery reveals a previously unknown function of METTL3 and could influence future cancer treatments. The study has been published in Science Advances.

“We discovered that METTL3 has a different function, which may be just as important for cancer progression as the one previously known,” says Margalida Esteva Socias, research assistant at the Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå University and co-first author of the study.