Fig. 8.
Working model. The oncogenic role of FTO as an m6A demethylase in breast cancer. In FTO low expressed cells, BNIP3 mRNA is m6A methylated at the 3’UTR and up-regulation of BNIP3 induces apoptosis. While in FTO high expression cells, FTO mediates m6A demethylation of BNIP3 to cause its down-regulation, thus promoting cell proliferation. FTO-m6A-BNIP3 signal pathway is considered as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer therapy