Genome-wide association studies have identified SNPs within FTO, the human fat mass and obesity associated gene, that are strongly associated with obesity. Individuals homozygous for the at-risk rs9939609 A allele weigh, on average, ∼3 kg more than individuals with the low-risk T allele. Mice that lack FTO function and/or Fto expression display increased energy expenditure and a lean phenotype. We show here that ubiquitous overexpression of Fto leads to a dose-dependent increase in body and fat mass, irrespective of whether mice are fed a standard or a high-fat diet. Our results suggest that increased body mass results primarily from increased food intake. Mice with increased Fto expression on a high-fat diet develop glucose intolerance. This study provides the first direct evidence that increased Fto expression causes obesity in mice. © 2010 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.
CITATION STYLE
Church, C., Moir, L., McMurray, F., Girard, C., Banks, G. T., Teboul, L., … Cox, R. D. (2010). Overexpression of Fto leads to increased food intake and results in obesity. Nature Genetics, 42(12), 1086–1092. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.713
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