O-GlcNAcylation is the process of adding a single
N-acetylglucosamine sugar to the
serine or
threonine of a protein, controlled by a pair of opposing enzymes:
O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and
O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Comparable to
phosphorylation, addition or removal of
N-acetylglucosamine is a means of activating or deactivating enzymes or
transcription factors., cancer, and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis Increased
O-GlcNAcylation due to hyperglycemia is evidently a dysfunctional form of
O-GlcNAcylation.
O-GlcNAcylation decline in the brain with age is associated with
cognitive decline. When
O-GlcNAcylation was increased in the
hippocampus of aged mice,
spatial learning and memory improved. Furthermore,
O-GlcNAcylation may also be involved in cancer pathogenesis, due to its close ties with various nutritional and growth signal transductions. == See also ==