m(6)A demethylase FTO regulate CTNNB1 to promote adipogenesis of chicken preadipocyte

BACKGROUND: N6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is an abundant post-transcriptional RNA modification that affects various biological processes. The fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) protein, a demethylase encoded by the FTO gene, has been found to regulate adipocyte development in an m(6)A-dependent manner in multiple species. However, the effects of the m(6)A methylation and FTO demethylation functions on chicken adipogenesis remain unclear. This study aims to explore the association between m(6)A modification and chicken adipogenesis and the underlying mechanism by which FTO affects chicken preadipocyte development. RESULTS: The association between m(6)A modification and chicken lipogenesis was assessed by treating chicken preadipocytes with different doses of methyl donor betaine and methylation inhibitor cycloleucine. The results showed that betaine significantly increased methylation levels and inhibited lipogenesis, and the inverse effect was found in preadipocytes after cycloleucine treatment. Overexpression of FTO significantly inhibited m(6)A levels and promoted proliferation and differentiation of chicken preadipocytes. Silencing FTO showed opposite results. Mechanistically, FTO overexpression increased the expression of catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1) by improving RNA stability in an m(6)A-dependent manner, and we proved that FTO could directly target CTNNB1. Furthermore, CTNNB1 may be a positive regulator of adipogenesis in chicken preadipocytes. CONCLUSIONS: m(6)A methylation of RNA was negatively associated with adipogenesis of chicken preadipocytes. FTO could regulate CTNNB1 expression in a demethylation manner to promote lipogenesis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40104-022-00795-z.