Affinage

MEX3A

RNA-binding protein MEX3A · UniProt A1L020

Length
520 aa
Mass
54.2 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
54 papers in source corpus 27 papers cited in narrative 27 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 7/7 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

MEX3A is a dual-function post-transcriptional regulator that combines sequence-specific RNA binding through tandem KH domains with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity from a C-terminal RING domain, acting at the intersection of stem-cell maintenance, mRNA fate control, and tumor progression (PMID:23408853, PMID:36354374). As an RNA-binding protein it recognizes defined 3'UTR elements in target transcripts and destabilizes or represses them: it binds the CDX2 3'UTR to block intestinal differentiation (PMID:23408853), binds an MRE in MSH2 mRNA to recruit the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex and degrade it, lowering mismatch-repair activity and conferring temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma (PMID:36112059), and degrades CDKN2B (PMID:34976441), KLF4 (PMID:36276637), LAMA2 (PMID:32792503), and IGFBP4 (PMID:37433992) transcripts to drive cell-cycle progression, Wnt activation, and PI3K/AKT signaling across diverse cancers. Conversely, it stabilizes Lgr5 mRNA and binds PPARG transcripts to repress PPARγ signaling, thereby sustaining the Lgr5+ intestinal/colorectal stem-cell program, Wnt activity, and chemoresistance (PMID:37845346, PMID:41881339). Through its RING domain, MEX3A ubiquitinates and triggers proteasomal degradation of substrate proteins including RIG-I—suppressing type-I interferon antiviral immunity—and p53, the latter blocking ferroptosis to enhance tumorigenesis (PMID:32019099, PMID:36354374, PMID:37521868). In vivo, Mex3a marks slowly cycling reserve Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells and chemoresistant persister cells that adopt a fetal progenitor-like state, and Mex3a loss reduces tumor burden and restores chemosensitivity (PMID:28285904, PMID:35773527, PMID:41881339). Beyond cancer it functions as a translational remodeller controlling neural-stem-cell quiescence transitions (PMID:36690670) and decouples olfactory receptor transcription from ER stress to ensure correct receptor choice and axon targeting (PMID:40668674). MEX3A also undergoes IDR-dependent liquid-liquid phase separation to modulate processing-body dynamics and mRNA decay (PMID:38565536).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 9 steps
  1. 2013 High

    Established MEX3A as a sequence-specific 3'UTR-binding repressor by showing it binds the CDX2 transcript to block intestinal differentiation and promote a stem-cell marker program.

    Evidence RNA-binding to CDX2 3'UTR with overexpression/knockdown in cells and murine intestine

    PMID:23408853

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not define the RING domain's catalytic role
    • Mechanism of repression (decay vs. translation) not resolved
  2. 2017 High

    Defined the physiological cell population: Mex3a marks a slowly cycling reserve subset of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells spared by chemotherapy and capable of regenerating epithelium.

    Evidence Lineage tracing, single-cell transcriptomics, and in vivo injury models in mouse intestine

    PMID:28285904

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular targets sustaining the reserve state not identified here
    • Did not address cancer relevance directly
  3. 2020 High

    Demonstrated MEX3A's RING-dependent E3 ligase function and broadened RNA-target repertoire, linking it to immune evasion and metastatic signaling.

    Evidence Co-IP/ubiquitylation assays for RIG-I in glioblastoma; RIP and mRNA-stability assays for LAMA2 in lung adenocarcinoma; Mex3a KO mouse with PPARγ manipulation in intestine

    PMID:32019099 PMID:32052574 PMID:32792503

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct ubiquitin-chain linkage on RIG-I not characterized
    • Whether RNA-binding and ligase activities are coupled unclear
  4. 2021 High

    Systematic transcriptome-wide target mapping identified direct mRNA targets and placed MEX3A under specific transcriptional control.

    Evidence eCLIP-seq + RIP-seq identifying CDKN2B in ccRCC with ETS1 activation; Co-IP of RAP1GAP and miR-6887-3p regulation in CRC

    PMID:33638620 PMID:34976441

    Open questions at the time
    • RAP1GAP interaction is a single Co-IP without reciprocal validation
    • Functional hierarchy among many targets unresolved
  5. 2022 High

    Resolved a deadenylation mechanism and expanded protein-substrate degradation, unifying RNA decay and ubiquitin functions across multiple cancers.

    Evidence MRE identification + CCR4-NOT recruitment for MSH2 (glioblastoma); p53 protein-stability/ferroptosis assays (ovarian); CLIP for KLF4 with in vivo mouse models; Co-IP of DVL3; TIMELESS splicing/NMD analysis; SMYD2 ChIP-qPCR upstream regulation

    PMID:35637161 PMID:35715407 PMID:35773527 PMID:36112059 PMID:36276637 PMID:36354374 PMID:36614043

    Open questions at the time
    • Whether p53 degradation is direct RING-dependent ubiquitination not fully dissected
    • Splicing/NMD role mechanistically distinct from decay and unintegrated
  6. 2023 Medium

    Extended MEX3A to translational remodeling in neural stem cells and integrated it into a circadian-Wnt-stemness circuit, plus defined the IGF-1R/β-arrestin-2 input that activates RIG-I degradation.

    Evidence In vivo NSC loss-of-function with transcriptomics; BMAL1-driven transcription and Lgr5 mRNA stabilization; IGFBP4 RNA pull-down/RIP; structural/mutant dissection of β-arrestin-2–RING interaction

    PMID:36690670 PMID:37433992 PMID:37521868 PMID:37529875 PMID:37845346

    Open questions at the time
    • NSC target transcripts only profiled at signature level
    • CREB1 interaction (#20) low-confidence, method not explicitly Co-IP
  7. 2024 Medium

    Revealed a biophysical mode of action: MEX3A phase-separates and acts within processing bodies to direct mRNA decay.

    Evidence IDR-dependent LLPS assay, circMPP6 scaffold interaction, PB-protein Co-IP, and PDE5A decay/autophagy readouts in CRC

    PMID:38565536

    Open questions at the time
    • Generality of LLPS to other targets untested
    • circRNA scaffold requirement not validated outside CRC
  8. 2025 High

    Defined a developmental neuronal role decoupling olfactory receptor transcription from ER stress to ensure correct receptor choice and axon targeting.

    Evidence Conditional Mex3a deletion in olfactory sensory neurons with ER-stress, OR-choice, and glomerular-mapping readouts

    PMID:40668674

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct OR mRNA targets not enumerated
    • Link between OR silencing and ER-stress timing mechanistic detail incomplete
  9. 2026 High

    Confirmed PPARG transcripts as direct targets controlling the intestinal/CRC stem program and defined MEX3A in an m6A super-enhancer complex.

    Evidence HyperTRIBE target identification, heterozygous Mex3a KO CRC mouse models, and patient-derived tumoroids; Co-IP/MeRIP of MEX3A/RBM15B/IGF2BP3 on KMT2C in breast cancer

    PMID:41161249 PMID:41881339

    Open questions at the time
    • m6A-writer complex mechanism in single lab without reciprocal genetics
    • How PPARG repression integrates with Wnt and Lgr5 stabilization not fully mapped

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How MEX3A coordinates its RNA-binding, RING ligase, and phase-separation activities into a unified regulatory logic, and what determines target selection across stem-cell, neuronal, and tumor contexts, remains unresolved.
  • No structural model coupling KH and RING activities
  • Mitochondrial fitness role only in preprint (#23)
  • K27 ubiquitin linkage on Serbp1/Rps7 only in preprint (#25)

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0003723 RNA binding 8 GO:0016740 transferase activity 4 GO:0140096 catalytic activity, acting on a protein 4 GO:0045182 translation regulator activity 3 GO:0140098 catalytic activity, acting on RNA 2
Localization
GO:0005783 endoplasmic reticulum 1 GO:0005829 cytosol 1
Pathway
R-HSA-162582 Signal Transduction 3 R-HSA-168256 Immune System 3 R-HSA-392499 Metabolism of proteins 3 R-HSA-8953854 Metabolism of RNA 3 R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 2 R-HSA-1640170 Cell Cycle 1
Partners
CIRCMPP6CREB1DVL3EIF4GRAP1GAPRBM15BRIG-I
Complex memberships
CCR4-NOTMEX3A/RBM15B/IGF2BP3 m6A complexprocessing body

Evidence

Reading pass · 27 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2013 MEX3A binds directly to a specific determinant in the CDX2 mRNA 3'UTR and represses CDX2 expression post-transcriptionally, thereby impairing intestinal differentiation, cellular polarization, and promoting expression of intestinal stem cell markers (LGR5, BMI1, MSI1). Cell-based assays (RNA-binding to CDX2 mRNA 3'UTR), expression studies in murine intestine, overexpression/knockdown experiments Nucleic acids research High 23408853
2017 Mex3a expression marks a slowly cycling, reserve-like subpopulation of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) that is spared by chemotherapy and radiation (which preferentially target rapidly dividing Lgr5+ cells) and helps regenerate the intestinal epithelium after toxic insults. Lineage tracing, single-cell transcriptome profiling, in vivo chemotherapy/radiation challenge models Cell stem cell High 28285904
2020 MEX3A binds LAMA2 mRNA via RNA immunoprecipitation and promotes its instability/degradation in lung adenocarcinoma cells, thereby downregulating LAMA2 and activating PI3K/AKT signaling to promote metastasis. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), mRNA stability assay, knockdown/rescue experiments, transcriptome sequencing Cell death & disease Medium 32792503
2020 MEX3A acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that binds RIG-I protein and induces its ubiquitylation and proteasome-dependent degradation in glioblastoma cells, suppressing RIG-I tumor suppressor function. Co-immunoprecipitation, ubiquitylation assay, proteasome inhibition, MEX3A knockdown with RIG-I protein level readout Cancers Medium 32019099
2020 Knockout of Mex3a in mice disrupts Lgr5+ ISC pool maintenance during postnatal intestinal development and impairs organoid maturation ex vivo. Mechanistically, Mex3a deletion induces PPARγ pathway activation with concomitant decrease in Wnt signalling and loss of Lgr5+ stem cell signature; high PPARγ signalling impairs Lgr5+ ISC function. Mex3a knockout mouse model, transcriptomic profiling of intestinal crypts, organoid assays, PPARγ pathway manipulation EMBO reports High 32052574
2021 MEX3A interacts with RAP1GAP protein (demonstrated by Co-IP) and regulates the RAP1GAP/MEK/ERK/HIF-1α pathway to promote colorectal cancer cell proliferation and metastasis; hsa-miR-6887-3p binds the 3'UTR of MEX3A mRNA to suppress its expression. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), transcriptome analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, MEK/ERK inhibitor rescue experiments Cancer communications Medium 33638620
2021 The human RNA chaperone MEX3A (hMex3A) binds the Andes orthohantavirus Small mRNA 3'UTR (identified by RNA affinity chromatography/mass spectrometry) and enhances SmRNA translation in a 3'UTR-dependent manner; hMex3A interacts with eIF4G independently of viral infection, suggesting a 5'-3' end interaction mechanism. RNA affinity chromatography followed by mass spectrometry, in vitro translation assay, co-immunoprecipitation (hMex3A-eIF4G interaction) PLoS pathogens Medium 34547046
2022 MEX3A binds to the MEX3 recognition element (MRE) in MSH2 mRNA 3'UTR and recruits CCR4-NOT complexes to induce MSH2 mRNA deadenylation and degradation, thereby reducing DNA mismatch repair activity and conferring temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma. RNA-binding assay (MRE identification), CCR4-NOT complex association assay, mRNA stability/deadenylation assay, MEX3A overexpression/depletion with MMR activity and chemosensitivity readouts Cancer research High 36112059
2022 MEX3A overexpression in ovarian cancer cells promotes p53 protein degradation without altering p53 mRNA levels; MEX3A-mediated p53 degradation is critical for suppressing ferroptosis and enhancing tumorigenesis. MEX3A contains a RING finger domain (E3 ubiquitin ligase) and an RNA-binding domain. MEX3A depletion/overexpression with p53 protein stability assay, p53 mRNA level measurement (unchanged), ferroptosis assays, orthotopic xenograft models, p53 knockdown rescue experiments Cancer research High 36354374
2022 MEX3A promotes ovarian cancer progression by regulating alternative splicing of TIMELESS mRNA: MEX3A knockdown causes retention of intron 23 of TIMELESS mRNA and decreases TIMELESS mRNA through stimulation of nonsense-mediated RNA decay (NMD). RNA-seq alternative splicing analysis, MEX3A knockdown with TIMELESS mRNA splicing readout, NMD pathway analysis, TIMELESS overexpression rescue Cell death & disease Medium 35715407
2022 MEX3A interacts with DVL3 (a positive Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulator) via co-immunoprecipitation, stabilizes β-catenin, and upregulates downstream Wnt target genes to promote EMT and endometrial carcinoma progression. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), immunofluorescence, GSEA pathway analysis, knockdown/overexpression with β-catenin readout International journal of molecular sciences Medium 36614043
2022 E2F3 transcription factor induces MEX3A expression, which in turn directly suppresses KLF4 (a pro-differentiation transcription factor) mRNA expression via RNA crosslinking immunoprecipitation (CLIP), thereby activating WNT pathway and maintaining cancer cells in undifferentiated/proliferative state with enhanced radioresistance. RNA CLIP, luciferase reporter assay, Mex3a KO and intestinal epithelium cKO mouse models, AOM-DSS and Apc-floxed tumor models, organoid cultures, RNA-seq Theranostics High 36276637
2022 Mex3a+ cells in colorectal cancer are chemoresistant persister cells that downregulate the WNT/stem cell gene program after chemotherapy and adopt a YAP+ fetal intestinal progenitor-like state; Mex3a-deficient cells differentiate toward goblet cell-like phenotype and cannot resist chemotherapy. Lineage-tracing analysis in CRC mouse models, patient-derived organoids with chemotherapy, Mex3a-deficient cell characterization Nature cancer High 35773527
2023 MEX3A acts as a post-transcriptional regulator in adult murine neural stem cells (NSCs), controlling a quiescence-related RNA signature at critical neurogenic lineage transitions. MEX3A is required for activated NSCs to return to quiescence and for repression of the same stemness program at onset of neuronal differentiation, functioning as a translational remodeller. In vivo mouse subependymal zone neurogenesis analysis, MEX3A loss-of-function, transcriptomic profiling, stemness-associated transcript analysis Nature communications Medium 36690670
2023 MEX3A binds IGFBP4 mRNA (via RNA pull-down and RIP assay) and decreases IGFBP4 mRNA levels in breast cancer cells, thereby activating PI3K/AKT and downstream cell cycle/migration pathways. RNA pull-down assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), MEX3A knockdown with IGFBP4 mRNA level readout, PI3K/AKT pathway analysis Breast cancer research and treatment Medium 37433992
2023 BMAL1 directly activates transcription of Mex3a; MEX3A in turn binds to and stabilizes Lgr5 mRNA to maintain LGR5+ crypt base columnar cell numbers. Bmal1 depletion reduced Mex3a and Lgr5 expression and increased ferroptosis, decreasing LGR5+ CBC numbers. Chromatin binding/transcription assays for BMAL1-Mex3a, RNA-binding assay for MEX3A-Lgr5 mRNA, Bmal1 depletion with ferroptosis and cell-number readouts Scientific reports Medium 37845346
2023 Activated IGF-1R phosphorylates β-arrestin-2 (βarr2) on Tyr64 and Tyr250, inducing conformational changes that open the middle loop (Leu130-Cys141) of βarr2 to interact with the RING domain of MEX3A, thereby triggering MEX3A-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of RIG-I, suppressing IFN-I antiviral immunity in the tumor microenvironment. Structural modeling, mutant analysis (βarr2Y64A, βarr2Y250A), truncated-βarr2 and peptide competition assays, RIG-I degradation assay, Co-IP/complex formation assays Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B Medium 37521868
2021 MEX3A knockdown in clear cell renal cell carcinoma induces G1/S cell cycle arrest. Systematic eCLIP-seq and RIP-seq identified CDKN2B mRNA as a direct MEX3A target: MEX3A binds CDKN2B 3'UTR and promotes its mRNA degradation, leading to decreased CDKN2B and uncontrolled cell cycle progression. MEX3A transcription is activated by ETS1. Enhanced cross-linking immunoprecipitation sequencing (eCLIP-seq), RNA-immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-seq), G1/S arrest assay, CDKN2B rescue experiments, ETS1 transcriptional activation assay Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids High 34976441
2024 MEX3A undergoes intrinsically disordered region (IDR)-dependent liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in the cytoplasm. In complex with circMPP6 (which acts as a scaffold), MEX3A interacts with processing body (PB) proteins to modulate PB dynamics and promote UPF-mediated degradation of PDE5A mRNA, inhibiting autophagy and promoting CRC progression. LLPS assay (IDR-dependent), RNA-protein interaction assays (circMPP6-MEX3A), Co-IP with PB proteins, PDE5A mRNA decay assay, autophagy readouts Signal transduction and targeted therapy Medium 38565536
2022 SMYD2 epigenetically activates MEX3A expression by promoting H3K36me2 modification on the MEX3A promoter (validated by ChIP-qPCR); MEX3A in turn suppresses CDX2 expression to promote colorectal cancer cell growth. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR, MEX3A overexpression/knockdown with CDX2 readout, rescue experiments Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology Medium 35637161
2023 MEX3A interacts with CREB1 protein (co-immunoprecipitation implied by 'directly targeting CREB1') in thyroid cancer cells; the MEX3A-CREB1 interaction contributes to tumor-promoting effects, as CREB1 silencing alleviates MEX3A-mediated malignant phenotypes. MEX3A depletion with CREB1 interaction assay, CREB1 silencing rescue experiment Cell biology international Low 37529875
2025 Mex3a post-transcriptionally silences olfactory receptor (OR) protein expression during the polygenic stage of OR transcription in developing olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), decoupling OR transcription from OR protein-induced ER stress. Conditional Mex3a deletion causes premature ER stress during polygenic OR transcription, biases OR choice toward first-transcribed OR alleles, and perturbs OR-regulated axon targeting, disrupting the glomerular map in the olfactory bulb. Conditional Mex3a deletion in OSNs, ER stress measurement, OR choice analysis, axon targeting/glomerular map analysis Cell reports High 40668674
2026 MEX3A directly interacts with PPARG transcripts (identified by HyperTRIBE) and represses PPARγ pathway signaling in intestinal/colorectal cancer cells. Mex3a heterozygous knockout in Apc+/fl and Apc+/fl;Kras+/G12D mouse models reduces tumor burden; MEX3A-depleted patient-derived CRC tumoroids show increased PPARγ, reduced LGR5, and increased sensitivity to FOLFOX chemotherapy. HyperTRIBE (RNA target identification), Mex3a heterozygous KO in CRC mouse models, CRISPR/Cas9 MEX3A KO in patient-derived tumoroids, PPARγ pathway and chemotherapy sensitivity assays Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology High 41881339
2025 MEX3A depletion in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) cells causes chronic mitochondrial fragmentation, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased superoxide, decreased NAD+/NADH ratio, inhibition of OXPHOS, and decreased ATP levels. In mitophagy-stressor-rich environments (e.g., liver), MEX3A-depleted OCCC cells fail to recover from mitophagy, greatly reducing liver metastasis. This mitochondrial fitness control by MEX3A is independent of p53. MEX3A knockdown with mitochondrial morphology imaging, mitochondrial membrane potential assay, superoxide measurement, NAD+/NADH ratio, OXPHOS/ATP assays, mitophagy stress survival assay, in vivo liver metastasis model bioRxivpreprint Medium bio_10.1101_2025.11.05.686880
2026 MEX3A promotes seRNA m6A methylation in breast cancer by interacting with RBM15B (demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation), forming a MEX3A/RBM15B/IGF2BP3 complex that maintains KMT2C mRNA expression and stability; IGF2BP3 reads seRNA m6A, and KMT2C promotes H3K4me1 formation to drive super-enhancer activity. Co-immunoprecipitation (MEX3A-RBM15B), methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) assay, FISH for co-localization, functional proliferation/metastasis assays, in vivo xenograft Translational oncology Medium 41161249
2026 Loss of Mex3a in immature olfactory sensory neurons leads to defects in cilia structure, cell surface protein expression, and planar cell polarity in mature OSNs. Proteomics reveal Mex3a-dependent decrease in proteins related to vesicle transport, lipid metabolism, and ribosome biogenesis. Mex3a may confer K27 ubiquitin linkage on substrates including Serbp1 and Rps7. Mex3a levels regulate recruitment of translation factors Serbp1 and p-eEF2 to ribosomes. Mex3a loss-of-function in OSNs, proteomics, ubiquitin linkage assay (K27), ribosome recruitment assay for Serbp1 and p-eEF2 bioRxivpreprint Medium 41726993
2022 Grass carp Mex3A (ortholog) interacts physically with RIG-I in the endoplasmic reticulum; RING domain deletion mutant retains RIG-I binding but fails to degrade it, establishing that Mex3A acts as a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase to ubiquitinate and degrade RIG-I and inhibit IRF3-mediated antiviral innate immune response. Co-localization analysis, Co-IP, RING domain truncation/deletion mutant analysis, ubiquitination assay, IRF3 phosphorylation assay Frontiers in immunology Medium 35865536

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 54 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2017 Mex3a Marks a Slowly Dividing Subpopulation of Lgr5+ Intestinal Stem Cells. Cell stem cell 161 28285904
2020 Mex3a interacts with LAMA2 to promote lung adenocarcinoma metastasis via PI3K/AKT pathway. Cell death & disease 126 32792503
2022 Mex3a marks drug-tolerant persister colorectal cancer cells that mediate relapse after chemotherapy. Nature cancer 107 35773527
2021 Mex3a promotes oncogenesis through the RAP1/MAPK signaling pathway in colorectal cancer and is inhibited by hsa-miR-6887-3p. Cancer communications (London, England) 86 33638620
2023 MEX3A Mediates p53 Degradation to Suppress Ferroptosis and Facilitate Ovarian Cancer Tumorigenesis. Cancer research 85 36354374
2013 CDX2 regulation by the RNA-binding protein MEX3A: impact on intestinal differentiation and stemness. Nucleic acids research 79 23408853
2020 The RNA-Binding Ubiquitin Ligase MEX3A Affects Glioblastoma Tumorigenesis by Inducing Ubiquitylation and Degradation of RIG-I. Cancers 53 32019099
2021 MEX3A contributes to development and progression of glioma through regulating cell proliferation and cell migration and targeting CCL2. Cell death & disease 32 33414423
2024 Mex-3 RNA binding family member A (MEX3A)/circMPP6 complex promotes colorectal cancer progression by inhibiting autophagy. Signal transduction and targeted therapy 30 38565536
2022 MEX3A Impairs DNA Mismatch Repair Signaling and Mediates Acquired Temozolomide Resistance in Glioblastoma. Cancer research 27 36112059
2022 Identifying the E2F3-MEX3A-KLF4 signaling axis that sustains cancer cells in undifferentiated and proliferative state. Theranostics 27 36276637
2020 MEX3A regulates Lgr5+ stem cell maintenance in the developing intestinal epithelium. EMBO reports 26 32052574
2020 MEX3A knockdown inhibits the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer cell international 26 32140076
2022 MEX3A promotes the malignant progression of ovarian cancer by regulating intron retention in TIMELESS. Cell death & disease 24 35715407
2020 The Stemness Gene Mex3A Is a Key Regulator of Neuroblast Proliferation During Neurogenesis. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 21 33072742
2021 MEX3A suppresses proliferation and EMT via inhibiting Akt signaling pathway in cervical cancer. American journal of cancer research 20 33948367
2021 Oncogenic Potential of the Dual-Function Protein MEX3A. Biology 20 34067172
2020 MEX3A promotes triple negative breast cancer proliferation and migration via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Experimental cell research 20 32738346
2023 MEX3A determines in vivo hepatocellular carcinoma progression and induces resistance to sorafenib in a Hippo-dependent way. Hepatology international 19 37460832
2021 Targeting MEX3A attenuates metastasis of breast cancer via β-catenin signaling pathway inhibition. Cancer letters 19 34425185
2021 Mex-3 RNA binding MEX3A promotes the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells via regulating RhoA/ROCK1/LIMK1 signaling pathway. Bioengineered 19 34486491
2017 Mex3a expression and survival analysis of bladder urothelial carcinoma. Oncotarget 17 28903380
2022 MEX3A promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression via the miR-3163/SCIN axis by regulating NF-κB signaling pathway. Cell death & disease 16 35490173
2021 MEX3A promotes development and progression of breast cancer through regulation of PIK3CA. Experimental cell research 15 33811903
2020 MEX3A is upregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and promotes development and progression of ESCC through targeting CDK6. Aging 15 33188661
2022 Grass Carp Mex3A Promotes Ubiquitination and Degradation of RIG-I to Inhibit Innate Immune Response. Frontiers in immunology 14 35865536
2023 Post-transcriptional control of a stemness signature by RNA-binding protein MEX3A regulates murine adult neurogenesis. Nature communications 13 36690670
2023 MEX3A promotes angiogenesis in colorectal cancer via glycolysis. The Libyan journal of medicine 13 37155144
2023 Activation of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) promotes growth of colorectal cancer through triggering the MEX3A-mediated degradation of RIG-I. Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B 13 37521868
2022 RNA-Binding Protein MEX3A Interacting with DVL3 Stabilizes Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Endometrial Carcinoma. International journal of molecular sciences 13 36614043
2021 RNA-binding protein MEX3A controls G1/S transition via regulating the RB/E2F pathway in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids 13 34976441
2021 The effects of MEX3A knockdown on proliferation, apoptosis and migration of osteosarcoma cells. Cancer cell international 12 33827584
2021 MEX3A knockdown inhibits the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer via modulating CDK2 expression. Experimental and therapeutic medicine 10 34630697
2024 MEX3A promotes colorectal cancer migration, invasion and EMT via regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology 9 38914858
2023 The RNA binding protein MEX3A promotes tumor progression of breast cancer by post-transcriptional regulation of IGFBP4. Breast cancer research and treatment 9 37433992
2023 Core clock gene BMAL1 and RNA-binding protein MEX3A collaboratively regulate Lgr5 expression in intestinal crypt cells. Scientific reports 9 37845346
2022 SMYD2 epigenetically activates MEX3A and suppresses CDX2 in colorectal cancer cells to augment cancer growth. Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology 7 35637161
2021 The viral nucleocapsid protein and the human RNA-binding protein Mex3A promote translation of the Andes orthohantavirus small mRNA. PLoS pathogens 7 34547046
2025 MEX3A promotes cell proliferation by regulating the RORA/β-catenin pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. World journal of gastrointestinal oncology 5 40235874
2023 MEX3A induces the development of thyroid cancer via targeting CREB1. Cell biology international 5 37529875
2024 The loach haplotype-resolved genome and the identification of Mex3a involved in fish air breathing. Cell genomics 4 39389021
2024 Mex3a promoter hypomethylation can be utilized to diagnose HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in pharmacology 4 39564121
2025 Mex3a-dependent post-transcriptional silencing ensures olfactory receptor diversity and axon guidance specificity. Cell reports 3 40668674
2021 MicroRNA-139-5p Suppresses Cell Malignant Behaviors in Breast Cancer through Targeting MEX3A. Computational and mathematical methods in medicine 3 34765013
2025 Role of MEX3A in tumorigenesis: Mechanisms, tumor‑specific effects and therapeutic implications (Review). International journal of molecular medicine 2 40641106
2025 MEX3A activates the JAK-STAT pathway to suppress NK cell cytotoxicity and accelerate lung adenocarcinoma progression. Cellular immunology 1 40554097
2025 MEX3A-mediated super-enhancer RNA m6A methylation promotes aggressiveness of breast cancer via regulating RBM15B/IGF2BP3/KMT2C signaling. Translational oncology 1 41161249
2024 Hsa_circ_0008133 contributes to lung cancer progression by promoting glycolysis metabolism through the miR-760/MEX3A axis. Environmental toxicology 1 38317294
2026 Matrine functions as a tumor inhibitor to influence proliferation, metastasis and glycolysis in colorectal cancer via depending on METTL14-mediated m6A methylation of MEX3A. Molecular and cellular biochemistry 0 41525024
2026 Stemness factor Mex3a times translation and protein trafficking to ensure robust differentiation of olfactory sensory neurons. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 0 41726993
2026 MEX3A Modulates PPARγ Pathway Activity and Colorectal Cancer Growth. Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology 0 41881339
2026 Copy Number Amplification and c-Myc Transcriptional Activation-Mediated RNA-Binding Protein MEX3A Promotes EGFR-TKI Resistance in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Thoracic cancer 0 42080737
2025 MEX3A promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and migration via the Wnt/β-catenin and EMT pathways. World journal of gastrointestinal oncology 0 41114094
2023 Retracted: MicroRNA-139-5p Suppresses Cell Malignant Behaviors in Breast Cancer through Targeting MEX3A. Computational and mathematical methods in medicine 0 37811289

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