Recruitment of the m6A/Am demethylase FTO to target RNAs by the telomeric zinc finger protein ZBTB48 [ChIP-seq]

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) can remove both the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N6, 2′-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) methylation marks that function in multiple aspects of posttranscriptional regulation. Here, we demonstrate that Zbtb48, a C2H2-zinc finger protein that functions in telomere maintenance, associates with FTO and binds both mRNA and the telomere-associated regulatory RNA TERRA to regulate the functional interactions of FTO with target transcripts. Specifically, depletion of Zbtb48 affects targeting of FTO to sites of m6A/m6Am modification, changes cellular m6A/m6Am levels and, consequently, alters decay rates of target RNAs. Zbtb48 ablation also accelerates growth of HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells and modulates FTO-dependent regulation of Metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) transcripts by controlling the binding to MTA1 mRNA of the m6A reader IGF2BP2. Our findings thus uncover a previously unknown mechanism of posttranscriptional regulation in which Zbtb48 co-ordinates RNA-binding of the m6A/m6Am demethylase FTO to control expression of its target RNAs.