Project description:FTO, the first RNA demethylase discovered, mediates the demethylation of N6-methyladenosine (m6A), installed internally on messenger RNA, and N6,2′-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am), occurring at the +1 position from the 5’ cap. Despite extensive recent research on FTO, its physiological impact on cellular processes has yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that the cellular distribution of FTO is distinct among different cell lines, which critically affects the access of FTO to different RNA substrates. FTO binds multiple RNA substrates, including mRNA, U6 RNA, and tRNA. It mainly targets internal m6A when located in the cell nucleus and preferentially demethylates m6Am when residing in the cytoplasm. The expression levels of transcripts containing internal m6A are associated with the alteration of the FTO more so than transcripts containing m6Am. We also discover that N1-methyladenosine (m1A) in tRNA is a main substrate of FTO, with the FTO-catalyzed demethylation of target tRNAs repressing protein synthesis. Collectively, FTO-mediated RNA demethylation affects both mRNA level and translation through distinct pathways.
Project description:FTO, the first RNA demethylase discovered, mediates the demethylation of internal N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N6, 2-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) at the +1 position from the 5' cap in mRNA. Here we demonstrate that the cellular distribution of FTO is distinct among different cell lines, affecting the access of FTO to different RNA substrates. We find that FTO binds multiple RNA species, including mRNA, snRNA, and tRNA, and can demethylate internal m6A and cap m6Am in mRNA, internal m6A in U6 RNA, internal and cap m6Am in snRNAs, and N1-methyladenosine (m1A) in tRNA. FTO-mediated demethylation has a greater effect on the transcript levels of mRNAs possessing internal m6A than the ones with cap m6Am in the tested cells. We also show that FTO can directly repress translation by catalyzing m1A tRNA demethylation. Collectively, FTO-mediated RNA demethylation occurs to m6A and m6Am in mRNA and snRNA as well as m1A in tRNA.
Project description:Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small but critical cell population for cancer biology since they display inherent resistance to standard therapies and give rise to metastases. Despite accruing evidence establishing a link between deregulation of epitranscriptome-related players and tumorigenic process, the role of messenger RNA (mRNA) modifications dynamic in the regulation of CSC properties remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the cytoplasmic pool of fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) impedes CSC abilities in colorectal cancer through its m6Am (N6,2'-O-dimethyladenosine) demethylase activity. While m6Am is strategically located next to the m7G-mRNA cap, its biological function is not well understood and has not been addressed in cancer. Low FTO expression in patient-derived cell lines elevates m6Am level in mRNA which results in enhanced in vivo tumorigenicity and chemoresistance. Inhibition of the nuclear m6Am methyltransferase, PCIF1/CAPAM, fully reverses this phenotype, stressing the role of m6Am modification in stem-like properties acquisition. FTO-mediated regulation of m6Am marking constitutes a novel, reversible pathway controlling CSC abilities. Altogether, our findings bring to light the first biological function of the m6Am modification and its potential adverse consequences for colorectal cancer management.
Project description:We report m6Am-seq, based on selective in vitro demethylation and RNA immunoprecipitation. m6Am-seq directly distinguishes m6Am and 5’-UTR N6-methyladenosine (m6A).
Project description:Internal bases in mRNA can be subjected to modifications that influence the fate of mRNA in cells. One of the most prevalent modified bases is found at the 5′ end of mRNA, at the first encoded nucleotide adjacent to the 7-methylguanosine cap. Here we show that this nucleotide, N6,2′-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am), is a reversible modification that influences cellular mRNA fate. Using a transcriptome-wide map of m6Am we find that m6Am-initiated transcripts are markedly more stable than mRNAs that begin with other nucleotides. We show that the enhanced stability of m6Am-initiated transcripts is due to resistance to the mRNA-decapping enzyme DCP2. Moreover, we find that m6Am is selectively demethylated by fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO). FTO preferentially demethylates m6Am rather than N6-methyladenosine (m6A), and reduces the stability of m6Am mRNAs. Together, these findings show that the methylation status of m6Am in the 5′ cap is a dynamic and reversible epitranscriptomic modification that determines mRNA stability.
Project description:N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal modification on mammalian messenger RNA (mRNA). It is installed by a writer complex and can be reversed by erasers such as the fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO). Despite extensive research, the primary physiological substrates of FTO in mammalian tissues and development remain elusive. Here, we show that FTO mediates m6A demethylation of long-interspersed element-1 (LINE1) RNA in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), regulating LINE1 RNA abundance and the local chromatin state, which in turn modulates transcription of LINE1-containing genes. FTO-mediated LINE1 RNA m6A demethylation also plays regulatory roles in shaping chromatin state and gene expression during mouse oocyte and embryonic development. Our results suggest broad effects of LINE1 RNA m6A demethylation by FTO in mammals.
Project description:We identified the major RNA binding protein-SFPQ as a direct interaction partner of FTO. Our study showed that FTO and SFPQ were located in close proximity throughout the transcriptome and overexpression of SFPQ led to the demethylation of adjacent N6-methyladenosine on RNA
Project description:Proteomics of HEPG2 cells following FTO overexpression and knockdown. Data accompany our paper entitled “Dynamic Regulation of N6,2′-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) in Obesity” scheduled for publication in Nature Communications, 2021