Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) is an oncofetal RNA-binding protein. It also acts as a key N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) reader that regulates RNA stability and translation. Beyond its established role in cancer, IGF2BP3 has recently been implicated in neurological, metabolic, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. It recognizes m⁶A-modified transcripts through noncanonical RNA-binding mechanisms. It also cooperates with methyltransferases and noncoding RNAs to regulate gene expression after transcription. Functionally, IGF2BP3 promotes tumor progression, maintains neuronal homeostasis, modulates metabolism, supports cardiac regeneration, shapes inflammatory responses, and regulates liver pathology. It also shows promise as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and as a therapeutic target. However, clinical translation remains challenging due to its varied biological effects and the lack of specific inhibitors. Overall, IGF2BP3 represents a central post-transcriptional regulator linking RNA epigenetics to multi-organ disease, with broad translational relevance.
Ma et al. (Sat,) studied this question.