O-GlcNAc in cancer biology

Amino Acids. 2013 Oct;45(4):719-33. doi: 10.1007/s00726-013-1543-8. Epub 2013 Jul 9.

Abstract

O-linked β-N-actylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a carbohydrate post-translational modification on hydroxyl groups of serine and/or threonine residues of cytosolic and nuclear proteins. Analogous to phosphorylation, O-GlcNAcylation plays crucial regulatory roles in a variety of cellular processes. O-GlcNAc was termed a nutritional sensor, as global levels of the modification are elevated in response to increased glucose and glutamine flux into the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. A unique feature of cancer cell energy metabolism is a shift from oxidative phosphorylation to the less efficient glycolytic pathway (Warburg effect), necessitating greatly increased glucose uptake. Additionally, to help meet increased biosynthetic demands, cancer cells also up-regulate glutamine uptake. This led us to hypothesize that the universal feature of increased glucose and glutamine uptake by cancer cells might be linked to increased O-GlcNAc levels. Indeed, recent work in many different cancer types now indicates that hyper-O-GlcNAcylation is a general feature of cancer and contributes to transformed phenotypes. In this review, we describe known/potential links between hyper-O-GlcNAcylation and specific hallmarks of cancer, including cancer cell proliferation, survival, cell stresses, invasion and metastasis, aneuploidy, and energy metabolism. We also discuss inhibition of hyper-O-GlcNAcylation as a potential novel therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acetylglucosamine / analogs & derivatives
  • Acetylglucosamine / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Acetylglucosamine / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Neoplasms / therapy

Substances

  • Acetylglucosamine