The Potential Role of N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) Demethylase Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO) in Human Cancers

Jin-yan Wang,1,2 Li-juan Chen,1 Ping Qiang3 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhangjiagang First People’s Hospital, Zhangjiagang Jiangsu 215600, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Gynecology, Zhangjiagang First People’s Hospital, Zhangjiagang Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu 215600, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Li-juan ChenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhangjiagang First People’s Hospital, 68 W Jiyang Road, Zhangjiagang Jiangsu 215600, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail ljchen_doctor@163.comPing QiangDepartment of Gynecology, Zhangjiagang First People’s Hospital, 68 W Jiyang Road, Zhangjiagang 215600 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail pingqiang_doc_zjg@163.comAbstract: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase fat mass and obesity-associated gene(FTO), previously recognized to be related with obesity and diabetes, was gradually discovered to be dysregulated in multiple cancers and plays an oncogenic or tumor-suppressive role. However, the specific expression and pro- or anti-cancer role of FTO in various cancers remained controversial. In this review, through summarizing the available literature, we found that FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were closely related with cancer risk. Additionally, the dysregulation of FTO was implicated in multiple biological processes, such as cancer cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis, cell-cycle, differentiation, stem cell self-renewal and so on. These modulations mostly relied on the communications between FTO and specific signaling pathways, including PI3K/AKT, MAPK and mTOR signaling pathways. Furthermore, FTO had great potential for clinical application by serving as a prognostic biomarker.Keywords: FTO, biological function, cancers, prognosis