Background: Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal, and METTL3 plays a crucial role in the regulation of m6A. However, the therapeutic potential of METTL3 in pancreatic cancer is unclear.
Methods: By means of functional gain and loss experiments, the relationship between METTL3 and gemcitabine resistance as well as ferroptosis was explored. The target genes of METTL3 were screened, and the influence of O-GlcNAcylation on the stability and ubiquitination modification of METTL3 was dissected.
Results: We found that METTL3 is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer and regulates ferroptosis and gemcitabine resistance by promoting the degradation of HMGB1 in an m6A-YTHDF2-dependent manner. O-GlcNAcylation modulates the METTL3’s stability. The interaction between the deubiquitinase EIF3H and METTL3 is influenced by O-GlcNAcylation.
Conclusion: METTL3 affects pancreatic cancer progression by promoting degradation of HMGB1. The O-GlcNAcylation of METTL3 not only stabilizes METTL3 but also augments EIF3H-mediated deubiquitination. These findings uncover potential mechanisms underlying gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer and offer potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this disease.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10020-025-01285-4.
Keywords: Ferroptosis; HMGB1; METTL3; O-GlcNAcylation; Pancreatic cancer.