The Journal of Practical Medicine >

2026 , Vol. 42 >Issue 15: 2761 - 2769

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.15.012

Treatise：Mechanism and Practice

Research advances on the roles and mechanisms of WTAP in metabolic regulation

  • Guodong QIN ,
  • Miaolin LI ,
  • Jian ZHANG ,
  • Yao SHEN ,
  • Yusi LIU
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  • 1.Yanan Medical College of Yanan University，Yanan 716000，Shaanxi，China
    2.Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology，School of Basic Medicine，Air Force Medical University，Xi'an 710000，Shaanxi，China
    3.Radioimmunoassay Center，Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital，Xi′an 710000，Shaanxi，China

Received date: 2026-04-15

  Revised date: 2026-06-16

  Accepted date: 2026-06-22

  Online published: 2026-08-13

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Abstract

Wilms tumor 1-associated protein （WTAP）， a key regulatory subunit of the N?-methyladenosine （m?A） methyltransferase complex， has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its role in the regulation of cellular metabolism. This review systematically summarizes the functions and underlying mechanisms of WTAP in glucose metabolism， lipid metabolism， and related metabolic diseases. In glucose metabolism， WTAP regulates the expression of multiple key metabolic enzymes （e.g.， HK2， ENO1， and GLUT1） and key transcription factors in an m?A-dependent manner， thereby participating in the Warburg effect of tumor cells， metabolic reprogramming of immune cells， and chemotherapy resistance. In lipid metabolism， WTAP modulates the expression of genes involved in lipid synthesis and oxidation （e.g.， SQLE， ALOX15， and Decr1）， thus affecting adipocyte differentiation， lipid accumulation， and mitochondrial function. In metabolic diseases such as diabetic kidney disease， atherosclerosis， and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH）， WTAP exhibits tissue-specific changes in expression and subcellular localization and regulates disease progression via either m?A-dependent or m?A-independent pathways （e.g.， nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation in NASH）. This review aims to offer insights for a comprehensive understanding of the multiple roles of WTAP in metabolic regulation.

Key words： Wilms′ tumor 1-associated protein; glucose metabolism; lipid metabolism; metabolic diseases

Cite this article

Guodong QIN , Miaolin LI , Jian ZHANG , Yao SHEN , Yusi LIU . Research advances on the roles and mechanisms of WTAP in metabolic regulation[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2026 , 42(15) : 2761 -2769 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.15.012

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