Deciphering Protein O-GalNAcylation: Method Development and Disease Implication

Mucin-type O-glycosylation is an important protein post-translational modification that is abundantly expressed on cell surface proteins. Protein O-glycosylation plays a variety of roles in cellular biological functions including protein structure and signal transduction to the immune response. Cell surface mucins are highly O-glycosylated and are the main substance of the mucosal barrier that protects the gastrointestinal or respiratory tract from infection by pathogens or microorganisms. Dysregulation of mucin O-glycosylation may impair mucosal protection against pathogens that can invade cells to trigger infection or immune evasion. Truncated O-glycosylation, also known as Tn antigen or O-GalNAcylation, is highly upregulated in diseases such cancer, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and IgA nephropathy. Characterization of O-GalNAcylation helps decipher the role of Tn antigen in physiopathology and therapy. However, the analysis of O-glycosylation, specifically the Tn antigen, remains challenging due to the lack of reliable enrichment and identification assays compared to N-glycosylation. Here, we summarize recent advances in analytical methods for O-GalNAcylation enrichment and identification and highlight the biological role of the Tn antigen in various diseases and the clinical implications of identifying aberrant O-GalNAcylation.