SIRT5–RNF126 coordinated regulation of METTL17 stability controls mitochondrial function and glioma progression

Gliomas are highly invasive brain tumors in which metabolic reprogramming plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression. METTL17, a mitochondria-associated methyltransferase, has been reported to enhance oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) through mitochondrial RNA methylation; however, its function and regulatory mechanisms in glioma remain poorly understood. In this study, we manipulated METTL17 expression in primary P1 and U251 glioma cells using lentiviral-mediated knockdown and overexpression approaches. METTL17 depletion significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, reduced ATP production and mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased reactive oxygen species accumulation, whereas METTL17 overexpression reversed these phenotypes. Mechanistically, METTL17 sustained mitochondrial OXPHOS by positively regulating key components of the electron transport chain, including NDUFA2, NDUFS1, SDHB, UQCRB, and MT-CO2. Mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation analyses further revealed that METTL17 interacts with the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF126, which destabilizes METTL17 through K116-dependent ubiquitination. Additionally, we demonstrate that SIRT5 acts as a desuccinylase for METTL17, removing succinylation at Lys274 and thereby facilitating RNF126-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of METTL17. In vivo xenograft experiments further validated that METTL17 knockdown markedly inhibited tumor growth and enhanced apoptosis. Collectively, these findings identify METTL17 as a critical regulator of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in glioma and reveal a SIRT5-METTL17-RNF126 axis that governs METTL17 stability, providing new insights into glioma metabolic reprogramming and potential therapeutic targets.