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. 2010 Jul 29;1(7):616–620. doi: 10.1007/s13238-010-0082-2

A loop matters for FTO substrate selection

Zhifu Han 1, Ning Huang 1, Tianhui Niu 1, Jijie Chai 1,2,✉
PMCID: PMC4875277  PMID: 21203933

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.

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