FTO promotes bladder cancer progression and stemness-associated phenotypes

The fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), an N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase, plays a crucial role in various cancers. This study investigates its expression and functional role in bladder cancer (BCa). Analysis of TCGA data and validation in BCa cell lines revealed that FTO is significantly overexpressed in bladder cancer tissues and is associated with poor overall and disease-free survival. Functional assays demonstrated that knockdown of FTO markedly increased global m6A RNA methylation and suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation of BCa cells in vitro. Furthermore, FTO depletion significantly inhibited tumor growth and experimental liver colonization in nude mouse xenograft models. Mechanistically, transcriptomic analysis of FTO-high patient tissues and FTO-knockdown cells revealed a strong association between FTO and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) pathways. Consequently, FTO knockdown impaired the self-renewal capacity of BCa cells and downregulated the expression of key stemness genes (CD133, CD44, Nanog, OCT4). These findings suggest FTO is a critical oncoprotein that promotes bladder cancer progression and stemness-associated phenotypes, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target and prognostic marker.