In an experimental apical periodontitis model, FTO expression was suppressed in cementoblasts, whereas FTO knockdown upregulated the inflammatory response (e.g., IL-6, chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 [CCL2], matrix metalloproteinase-9 [MMP9], activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells [NFκB], and mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK] signaling pathways) but not affecting the mRNA stability of inflammation-related genes (Li et al. 2023). The gene discussed is MMP9; the disease is periapical periodontitis.