Increased O-GlcNAc levels correlate with decreased O-GlcNAcase levels in Alzheimer disease brain.
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| Abstract | :  The potential role of the posttranslational modification of proteins with O-linked N-acetyl-β-d-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD) has been studied extensively, yet the exact function of O-GlcNAc in AD remains elusive. O-GlcNAc cycling is facilitated by only two highly conserved enzymes: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) catalyzes the addition, while O-GlcNAcase (OGA) catalyzes the removal of GlcNAc from proteins. Studies analyzing global O-GlcNAc levels in AD brain have produced inconsistent results and the reasons for altered O-GlcNAcylation in AD are still poorly understood. In this study, we show a 1.2-fold increase in cytosolic protein O-GlcNAc modification in AD brain when compared to age-matched controls. Interestingly, O-GlcNAc changes seem to be attributable to differential modification of a few individual proteins. While our finding of augmented O-GlcNAcylation concurs with some reports, it is contrary to others demonstrating decreased O-GlcNAc levels in AD brain. These conflicting results emphasize the need for further studies providing conclusive evidence on the subject of O-GlcNAcylation in AD. We further demonstrate that, while OGT protein levels are unaffected in AD, OGA protein levels are significantly decreased to 75% of those in control samples. In addition, augmented protein O-GlcNAc modification correlates to decreased OGA protein levels in AD subjects. While OGA inhibitors are already being tested for AD treatment, our results provide a strong indication that the general subject of O-GlcNAcylation and specifically its regulation by OGA and OGT in AD need further investigation to conclusively elucidate its potential role in AD pathogenesis and treatment. | 
| Year of Publication | :  2014 | 
| Journal | :  Biochimica et biophysica acta | 
| Volume | :  1842 | 
| Issue | :  9 | 
| Number of Pages | :  1333-9 | 
| ISSN Number | :  0006-3002 | 
| URL | :  https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0925-4439(14)00142-2 | 
| DOI | :  10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.05.014 | 
| Short Title | :  Biochim Biophys Acta | 
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