METTL3 Mediates Wnt/β‐Catenin Pathway in Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition of 16HBE Cells Induced by Beryllium Sulphate

Beryllium (Be) is a recognised environmental toxicant associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a critical process in cell phenotype conversion, plays a key role in its pathophysiology. Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), a major N6-methyladenosine methyltransferase, regulates gene expression and cellular functions. However, its role in Be-induced EMT remains unclear. In this study, human bronchial epithelial cell line (16HBE cells) were exposed to varying concentrations of beryllium sulphate (BeSO₄) to assess changes in METTL3 expression. METTL3 overexpression vectors were constructed, and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect METTL3, EMT markers and Wingless/Integrated (Wnt)/β-catenin pathway proteins. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor ICG-001 was also employed to explore the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in BeSO₄-induced EMT. The study demonstrated that BeSO₄ suppressed METTL3 expression, induced EMT and activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in 16HBE cells. Both METTL3 overexpression and ICG-001 pretreatment mitigated BeSO₄-induced EMT and Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation. These findings suggest that METTL3 inhibits BeSO₄-induced EMT by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, offering novel mechanistic insights into beryllium toxicity and a potential therapeutic target for Be-related pulmonary fibrosis.