title: A loop matters for FTO substrate selection.
abstract: Recent studies have unequivocally established the link between FTO and obesity. FTO was biochemically shown to belong to the AlkB-like family DNA/RNA demethylase. However, FTO differs from other AlkB members in that it has unique substrate specificity and contains an extended C-terminus with unknown functions. Insight into the substrate selection mechanism and a functional clue to the C-terminus of FTO were gained from recent structural and biochemical studies. These data would be valuable to design FTO-specific inhibitors that can be potentially translated into therapeutic agents for treatment of obesity or obesity-related diseases.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, No. 7 Science Park Road, Beijing, 102206, China.
authors.forename: Zhifu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Tianhui
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Jijie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chai
mesh_terms: D000071498:AlkB Homolog 1, Histone H2a Dioxygenase; D000071516:Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008745:Methylation; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D011506:Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; C499236:ALKBH1 protein, human; D000071498:AlkB Homolog 1, Histone H2a Dioxygenase; D000071516:Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO; C526492:FTO protein, human; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes