Generation of a FTO gene knockout human embryonic stem cell line using CRISPR/Cas9 editing

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) is the first protein found to have the activity of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylation. It has been reported that FTO was involved in different physiological and pathological processes, including stem cell differentiation, sex determination, tumorigenesis, and progression. To further understand the exact role of FTO in these processes, we generated a FTO knockout human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line by CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing method. This cell line maintained normal karyotype, pluripotency, and trilineage differentiation potential, which are considered as a model for function studies of the FTO protein in hESC self-renewal and differentiation.