Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Integration of Bioinformatics Approaches and Experimental Validations to Understand the Role of Notch Signaling in Ovarian Cancer
09:08

Integration of Bioinformatics Approaches and Experimental Validations to Understand the Role of Notch Signaling in Ovarian Cancer

Published on: January 12, 2020

6.8K

FTO Inhibits Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Progression by Destabilising SNAI1 mRNA through IGF2BP2

Meige Sun1, Xiaocui Zhang1, Fangfang Bi1

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China.

Cancers
|November 11, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) inhibits epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) progression by reducing SNAI1 mRNA stability. This FTO-IGF2BP2-SNAI1 pathway offers a potential therapeutic target for EOC treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) plays a role in various diseases, including cancers.
  • The specific function of FTO in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) pathogenesis and its target genes are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the functional role of FTO in EOC development.
  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which FTO influences EOC progression.
  • To identify potential therapeutic targets within the FTO regulatory network in EOC.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro and in vivo functional assays to assess FTO's biological functions.
  • m6A RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) and RIP experiments to confirm m6A modification and binding sites.
  • Actinomycin D assay to determine RNA stability.

Main Results:

  • FTO expression was found to be downregulated in EOC, correlating with increased m6A levels and higher FIGO stages.
  • FTO reduced the m6A modification and stability of SNAI1 mRNA, leading to SNAI1 downregulation and inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
  • IGF2BP2 was identified as an m6A reader that binds to SNAI1 mRNA, promoting its stability in an FTO-dependent manner.

Conclusions:

  • FTO inhibits EOC cell growth and metastasis by downregulating SNAI1 expression via an m6A-IGF2BP2-dependent mechanism.
  • The FTO-IGF2BP2-SNAI1 axis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for epithelial ovarian cancer.
Keywords:
EMTFTOIGF2BP2SNAI1m6Ametastasisovarian cancer

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Role of TMOD3 in Platinum Resistance and Immune Infiltration in Ovarian Cancer09:40

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Role of TMOD3 in Platinum Resistance and Immune Infiltration in Ovarian Cancer

Published on: August 2, 2024

2.8K
Murine Model for Non-invasive Imaging to Detect and Monitor Ovarian Cancer Recurrence08:55

Murine Model for Non-invasive Imaging to Detect and Monitor Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

Published on: November 2, 2014

12.4K

Related Concept Videos

Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
6.2K
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
3.1K
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
16.9K
RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
26.3K
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a...
3.8K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K