| First Author | Merkestein M | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | PLoS One | Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | e97162 |
| PubMed ID | 24842286 | Mgi Jnum | J:216326 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5608645 | Doi | 10.1371/journal.pone.0097162 |
| Citation | Merkestein M, et al. (2014) Changes in gene expression associated with FTO overexpression in mice. PLoS One 9(5):e97162 |
| abstractText | Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the first intron of the fat-mass-and-obesity-related gene FTO are associated with increased body weight and adiposity. Increased expression of FTO is likely underlying this obesity phenotype, as mice with two additional copies of Fto (FTO-4 mice) exhibit increased adiposity and are hyperphagic. FTO is a demethylase of single stranded DNA and RNA, and one of its targets is the m6A modification in RNA, which might play a role in the regulation of gene expression. In this study, we aimed to examine the changes in gene expression that occur in FTO-4 mice in order to gain more insight into the underlying mechanisms by which FTO influences body weight and adiposity. Our results indicate an upregulation of anabolic pathways and a downregulation of catabolic pathways in FTO-4 mice. Interestingly, although genes involved in methylation were differentially regulated in skeletal muscle of FTO-4 mice, no effect of FTO overexpression on m6A methylation of total mRNA was detected. |
