PTMScan ® O-GlcNAc [GlcNAc-S/T] Motif Kit

A distinct form of protein glycosylation, beta-linked N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) moieties can be added to serine or threonine residues of proteins (1,2). This differs from other forms of glycosylation, as it typically is a single moiety rather than the complex branched sugars that are more commonly studied. It is thought that these modifications happen in a much more dynamic cycle more reminiscent of phosphorylation modifications. GlcNAc modified proteins are found in the cytoplasm and nucleus and are modulated by means of specific O-GlcNAc transferases (OGT) as well as GlcNAcase activity that can be inhibited using the Thiamet-G (TMG) inhibitor. Mass spectrometry analysis of this modification has been complicated due to the loss of the GlcNAc group during ionization and fragmentation, but methods and technologies such as electron transfer dissociation (ETD) are opening up new avenues to study these modifications. O-GlcNAc could play an important role in many cellular processes, including metabolism, growth, morphogenesis, apoptosis, transcription, and it may play a critical role in cancer (3). 1.Comer, F.I. et al. (2001) Anal Biochem 293, 169-77. 2.Slawson, C. and Hart, G.W. (2011) Nat Rev Cancer 11, 678-84. 3.Capotosti, F. et al. (2011) Cell 144, 376-88.