biology

FTO gene

FTO gene is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand FTO gene rather than just read about it. In short: Fat mass and obesity-associated protein, also known as alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase FTO, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FTO gene located on chromosome 16. As one homolog in the AlkB family proteins, it is the first messenger RNA (mRNA) demethylase that has been identified.

Key takeaways

FTO gene belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect FTO gene to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of FTO gene from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein, also known as alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase FTO, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FTO gene located on chromosome 16. As one homolog in the AlkB family proteins, it is the first messenger RNA (mRNA) demethylase that has been identified. Certain alleles of the FTO gene appear to be correlated with obesity in humans.

Function The amino acid sequence of the transcribed FTO protein shows high similarity with the enzyme AlkB which oxidatively demethylates DNA. FTO is a member of the superfamily of alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylase, which are non-heme iron-containing proteins. Recombinant FTO protein was first discovered to catalyse demethylation of 3-methylthymine in single-stranded DNA, and 3-methyluridine in single-stranded RNA, with low efficiency. The nucleoside N6-methyladenosine (m6A), an abundant modification in RNA, was then found to be a major substrate of FTO. The FTO gene expression was also found to be significantly upregulated in the hypothalamus of rats after food deprivation and strongly negatively correlated with the expression of orexigenic galanin-like peptide which is involved in the stimulation of food intake. Increases in hypothalamic expression of FTO are associated with the regulation of energy intake but not feeding reward. People with two copies of the risk allele for the rs9939609 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) showed differing neural responses to food images via fMRI. However, rs9939609's association with FTO is controversial, and may actually affect another gene, called Iroquois homeobox protein 3 (IRX3).

FTO demethylates RNA FTO has been demonstrated to efficiently demethylate the related modified ribonucleotide, N6,2'-O-dimethyladenosine, and to an equal or lesser extent, m6A, in vitro . FTO knockdown with siRNA led to increased amounts of m6A in polyA-RNA, whereas overexpression of FTO resulted in decreased amounts of m6A in human cells. FTO partially co-localizes with nuclear speckles, which supports the notion that in the nucleus, m6A can be a substrate of FTO. The function of FTO could affect the processing of pre-mRNA, other nuclear RNAs, or both. The discovery of the FTO-mediated oxidative demethylation of RNA may initiate further investigations on biological regulation based on reversible chemical modification of RNA, and identification of RNA substrates for which FTO has the highest affinity. FTO can oxidize m6A to generate N6-hydroxymethyladenosine (hm6A) as an intermediate modification and N6 - formyladenosine(f6A) as a further oxidized product in mammalian cells. Plants do not carry orthologs of FTO and artificial introduction of an FTO transgene causes substantial and widespread RNA demethylation. Instead of causing catastrophic disregulation, the treated rice and potato plants show significant (50%) increases in yield and become more tolerant to drought. In mESCs and during mouse development, FTO has been shown to mediated LINE1 RNA m6A demethylation and consequently affect local chromatin state and nearby gene transcription.

Tissue distribution The FTO gene is widely expressed in both fetal and adult tissues.

Clinical significance

Obesity

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with FTO gene

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what FTO gene claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to FTO gene before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about FTO gene ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of FTO gene

In research: FTO gene appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses FTO gene in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: FTO gene is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 1.14.11, Genes mutated in mice, Genes on human chromosome 16, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for FTO gene outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study FTO gene in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what FTO gene means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain FTO gene out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is FTO gene in simple terms?

Why does FTO gene matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study FTO gene?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on FTO gene.