Placental FTO expression relates to fetal growth

The fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) participates in the control of postnatal weight gain. We assessed whether FTO is expressed in human placenta and whether such expression relates to prenatal weight gain and to the rs9939609 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in FTO. In a birth cohort study, placentas from women (n=147) with an uncomplicated, singleton, term pregnancy were weighed at delivery. Real-time PCR was used to study, in placental tissue, the expression of FTO and of housekeeping genes (TATA box binding protein and succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A) and to genotype the rs9939609 SNP in FTO. Weights and lengths of the newborns were measured; circulating insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were quantified in cord blood. FTO was highly expressed in placenta and was associated with increased fetal weight and length (P