Fat Mass And Obesity Associated Protein (FTO)

The predicted 502-amino acid Fto protein has a calculated molecular mass of 58 kD and contains an N-terminal bipartite nuclear localization signal. RT-PCR detected Fto expression throughout mouse embryonic development and in all adult mouse tissues examined except heart and skin.

FTO shares sequence motifs with iron- and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases.Consistent with a potential role in nucleic acid demethylation, Fto localized to the nucleus in transfected cells. Studies of wildtype mice indicated that Fto mRNA is most abundant in the brain, particularly in hypothalamic nuclei governing energy balance, and that Fto mRNA levels in the arcuate nucleus are regulated by feeding and fasting.