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The FTO Gene, Implicated in Human Obesity, Is Found Only in Vertebrates and Marine Algae

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Abstract

Human obesity is a main cause of morbidity and mortality. Recently, several studies have demonstrated an association between the FTO gene locus and early onset and severe obesity. To date, the FTO gene has only been discovered in vertebrates. We identified FTO homologs in the complete genome sequences of various evolutionary diverse marine eukaryotic algae, ranging from unicellular photosynthetic picoplankton to a multicellular seaweed. However, FTO homologs appear to be absent from all other completely sequenced genomes of plants, fungi, and invertebrate animals. Although the biological roles of these marine algal FTO homologs are still unknown, these genes will be useful for exploring basic protein features and could hence help unravel the function of the FTO gene in vertebrates and its inferred link with obesity in humans.

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Acknowledgments

Sequence data of Phaeodactylum were produced by the Joint Genome Institute (http://www.jgi.doe.gov/). Sequence data of Ectocarpus were produced by Genoscope (http://www.cns.fr/). Micromonas culture work and genome sequencing were supported by the USDOE and a Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation grant to A.Z.W. S.R. is indebted to the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders for a predoctoral fellowship

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052, Ghent, Belgium

    Steven Robbens, Pierre Rouzé & Yves Van de Peer

  2. Department of Molecular Genetics, Ghent University, B-9052, Ghent, Belgium

    Steven Robbens & Yves Van de Peer

  3. Laboratoire Associé de l’INRA (France), Ghent University, B-9052, Ghent, Belgium

    Pierre Rouzé

  4. UMR 7139 CNRS-UPMC, Végétaux Marins et Biomolécules, Station Biologique, BP74, 29682, Roscoff, France

    J. Mark Cock

  5. Institute of Zoology, University of Basel, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Jürg Spring

  6. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, 95039-9644, USA

    Alexandra Z. Worden

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  1. Steven Robbens
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  2. Pierre Rouzé
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  6. Yves Van de Peer
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Correspondence to Alexandra Z. Worden or Yves Van de Peer.

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Robbens, S., Rouzé, P., Cock, J.M. et al. The FTO Gene, Implicated in Human Obesity, Is Found Only in Vertebrates and Marine Algae. J Mol Evol 66, 80–84 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-007-9059-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-007-9059-z

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