O-linked β-N-acetylglucosaminylation may be a key regulatory factor in promoting osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells

Newswise — Cumulative evidence suggests that O-linked β-N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) plays an important regulatory role in pathophysiological processes. Although the regulatory mechanisms of O-GlcNAcylation in tumors have been gradually elucidated, the potential mechanisms of O-GlcNAcylation in bone metabolism, particularly, in the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) remains unexplored. In this study, the literature related to O-GlcNAcylation and BMSC osteogenic differentiation was reviewed, assuming that it could trigger more scholars to focus on research related to O-GlcNAcylation and bone metabolism and provide insights into the development of novel therapeutic targets for bone metabolism disorders such as osteoporosis.

Core Tip: O-linked β-N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation), an important post-translational modification of proteins, widely involved in the regulation of biological processes such as signal transduction and proteasomal degradation, plays an essential role in the initiation and progression of various diseases such as bone metabolism. In this study, we emphasized that maintaining appropriate levels of O-GlcNAcylation is beneficial for the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Insufficient or excessive levels of O-GlcNAcylation are detrimental to BMSC osteogenic differentiation.

• Citation: Zhou XC, Ni GX. O-linked β-N-acetylglucosaminylation may be a key regulatory factor in promoting osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells. World J Stem Cells 2024; 16(3): 228-231
• URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/1948-0210/full/v16/i3/228.htm
• DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v16.i3.228