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O-GlcNAc signalling: implications for cancer cell biology

2011; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 11; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/nrc3114

1474-1768

Chad Slawson, Gerald W. Hart,

Carbohydrate Chemistry and Synthesis

β-D-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is a post-translational protein modification that has increasingly appreciated roles in many cancer-relevant cellular processes. This Opinion article discusses our current understanding of this modification in cancer biology and in the regulation of transcription factors and chromatin. O-GlcNAcylation is the covalent attachment of β-D-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) sugars to serine or threonine residues of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, and it is involved in extensive crosstalk with other post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation. O-GlcNAcylation is becoming increasing realized as having important roles in cancer-relevant processes, such as cell signalling, transcription, cell division, metabolism and cytoskeletal regulation. However, currently little is known about the specific roles of aberrant O-GlcNAcylation in cancer. In this Opinion article, we summarize the current understanding of O-GlcNAcylation in cancer and its emerging functions in transcriptional regulation at the level of chromatin and transcription factors.