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Updated: May 28, 2026

A Method for Measuring RNA N6-methyladenosine Modifications in Cells and Tissues
Published on: December 5, 2016
N6-methyladenosine in nuclear RNA is a major substrate of the obesity-associated FTO
1Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
We report here that fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) has efficient oxidative demethylation activity targeting the abundant N6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) residues in RNA in vitro. FTO knockdown with siRNA led to increased amounts of m(6)A in mRNA, whereas overexpression of FTO resulted in decreased amounts of m(6)A in human cells. We further show the partial colocalization of FTO with nuclear speckles, which supports the notion that m(6)A in nuclear RNA is a major physiological substrate of FTO.
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