Keith Vosseller

Elevated nucleocytoplasmic glycosylation by O-GlcNAc results in insulin resistance associated with defects in Akt activation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Increased flux of glucose through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HSP) is believed to mediate hyperglycemia-induced insulin resistance in diabetes. The end product of the HSP, UDPβ-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), is a donor sugar nucleotide for complex glycosylation in the secretory pathway and for O-linked GlcNAc (O-GlcNAc) addition to nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Cycling of the O-GlcNAc posttranslational modification was blocked by pharmacological inhibition of O-GlcNAcase, the enzyme that catalyzes O-GlcNAc removal from proteins, with O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosylidene)amino-N-phenylcarbamate (PUGNAc). PUGNAc treatment increased levels of O-GlcNAc and caused insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Insulin resistance induced through the HSP by glucosamine and chronic insulin treatment correlated with increased O-GlcNAc levels on nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Whereas insulin receptor autophosphorylation and insulin receptor substrate 2 tyrosine phosphorylation were not affected by PUGNAc inhibition of O-GlcNAcase, downstream phosphorylation of Akt at Thr-308 and glycogen synthase kinase 3β at Ser-9 was inhibited. PUGNAc-induced insulin resistance was associated with increased O-GlcNAc modification of several proteins including insulin receptor substrate 1 and β-catenin, two important effectors of insulin signaling. These results suggest that elevation of O-GlcNAc levels attenuate insulin signaling and contribute to the mechanism by which increased flux through the HSP leads to insulin resistance in adipocytes.

Mapping Sites of O-GlcNAc Modification Using Affinity Tags for Serine and Threonine Post-translational Modifications

Identifying sites of post-translational modifications on proteins is a major challenge in proteomics. O-Linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a dynamic nucleocytoplasmic modification more analogous to phosphorylation than to classical complex O-glycosylation. We describe a mass spectrometry-based method for the identification of sites modified by O-GlcNAc that relies on mild β-elimination followed by Michael addition with dithiothreitol (BEMAD). Using synthetic peptides, we also show that biotin pentylamine can replace dithiothreitol as the nucleophile. The modified peptides can be efficiently enriched by affinity chromatography, and the sites can be mapped using tandem mass spectrometry. This same methodology can be applied to mapping sites of serine and threonine phosphorylation, and we provide a strategy that uses modification-specific antibodies and enzymes to discriminate between the two post-translational modifications. The BEMAD methodology was validated by mapping three previously identified O-GlcNAc sites, as well as three novel sites, on Synapsin I purified from rat brain. BEMAD was then used on a purified nuclear pore complex preparation to map novel sites of O-GlcNAc modification on the Lamin B receptor and the nucleoporin Nup155. This method is amenable for performing quantitative mass spectrometry and can also be adapted to quantify cysteine residues. In addition, our studies emphasize the importance of distinguishing between O-phosphate versus O-GlcNAc when mapping sites of serine and threonine post-translational modification using β-elimination/Michael addition methods.

O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Proteomics of Postsynaptic Density Preparations Using Lectin Weak Affinity Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

O-GlcNAc is a widespread dynamic carbohydrate modification of cytosolic and nuclear proteins with features analogous to phosphorylation. O-GlcNAc acts critically in many cellular processes, including signal transduction, protein degradation, and regulation of gene expression. However, the study of its specific regulatory functions has been limited by difficulties in mapping sites of O-GlcNAc modification. We report methods for direct enrichment and identification of in vivo O-GlcNAc-modified peptides through lectin weak affinity chromatography (LWAC) and mass spectrometry. The effectiveness of this strategy on complex peptide mixtures was demonstrated through enrichment of 145 unique O-GlcNAc-modified peptides from a postsynaptic density preparation. 65 of these O-GlcNAc-modified peptides were sequenced and belonged to proteins with diverse functions in synaptic transmission. β-Elimination/Michael addition, MS3 on O-GlcNAc neutral loss ions, and electron capture dissociation were shown to facilitate analysis of O-GlcNAc-modified peptides/sites from lectin weak affinity chromatography enriched postsynaptic density samples. Bassoon and Piccolo, proteins critical to synapse assembly and vesicle docking, were extensively modified by O-GlcNAc. In some cases, O-GlcNAc was mapped to peptides previously identified as phosphorylated, indicating potential interplay between these modifications. Shared substrate amino acid context was apparent in subsets of O-GlcNAc-modified peptides, including “PVST” and a novel “TTA” motif (two hydroxyl-containing amino acids adjacent to an alanine). The results suggest specific roles for O-GlcNAc modification in synaptic transmission, establish a basis for site-specific regulatory studies, and provide methods that will facilitate O-GlcNAc proteome analysis across a wide variety of cells and tissues.

Increasing O-GlcNAc slows neurodegeneration and stabilizes tau against aggregation

Oligomerization of tau is a key process contributing to the progressive death of neurons in Alzheimers disease. Tau is modified by O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), and O-GlcNAc can influence tau phosphorylation in certain cases. We therefore speculated that increasing tau O-GlcNAc could be a strategy to hinder pathological tau-induced neurodegeneration. Here we found that treatment of hemizygous JNPL3 tau transgenic mice with an O-GlcNAcase inhibitor increased tau O-GlcNAc, hindered formation of tau aggregates and decreased neuronal cell loss. Notably, increases in tau O-GlcNAc did not alter tau phosphorylation in vivo. Using in vitro biochemical aggregation studies, we found that O-GlcNAc modification, on its own, hinders tau oligomerization. O-GlcNAc also inhibits thermally induced aggregation of an unrelated protein, TAK-1 binding protein, suggesting that a basic biochemical function of O-GlcNAc may be to prevent protein aggregation. These results also suggest O-GlcNAcase as a potential therapeutic target that could hinder progression of Alzheimers disease.

Perturbations in O-linked β-N-Acetylglucosamine Protein Modification Cause Severe Defects in Mitotic Progression and Cytokinesis

The dynamic modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins with O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a regulatory post-translational modification that is rapidly responsive to morphogens, hormones, nutrients, and cellular stress. Here we show that O-GlcNAc is an important regulator of the cell cycle. Increased O-GlcNAc (pharmacologically or genetically) results in growth defects linked to delays in G2/M progression, altered mitotic phosphorylation, and cyclin expression. Overexpression of O-GlcNAcase, the enzyme that removes O-GlcNAc, induces a mitotic exit phenotype accompanied by a delay in mitotic phosphorylation, altered cyclin expression, and pronounced disruption in nuclear organization. Overexpression of the O-GlcNAc transferase, the enzyme that adds O-GlcNAc, results in a polyploid phenotype with faulty cytokinesis. Notably, O-GlcNAc transferase is concentrated at the mitotic spindle and midbody at M phase. These data suggest that dynamic O-GlcNAc processing is a pivotal regulatory component of the cell cycle, controlling cell cycle progression by regulating mitotic phosphorylation, cyclin expression, and cell division.

Critical Role of O-Linked β-N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase in Prostate Cancer Invasion, Angiogenesis, and Metastasis

Background: Cancer cells display altered metabolism and expression of the nutrient sensor O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT). Results: Through regulation of FoxM1, OGT contributes to increased invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis of prostate cancer cells. Conclusion: OGT plays a critical role in prostate cancer. Significance: OGT may provide a novel therapeutic target for treating prostate cancer. Cancer cells universally increase glucose and glutamine consumption, leading to the altered metabolic state known as the Warburg effect; one metabolic pathway, highly dependent on glucose and glutamine, is the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. Increased flux through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway leads to increases in the post-translational addition of O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) to various nuclear and cytosolic proteins. A number of these target proteins are implicated in cancer, and recently, O-GlcNAcylation was shown to play a role in breast cancer; however, O-GlcNAcylation in other cancers remains poorly defined. Here, we show that O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is overexpressed in prostate cancer compared with normal prostate epithelium and that OGT protein and O-GlcNAc levels are elevated in prostate carcinoma cell lines. Reducing O-GlcNAcylation in PC3-ML cells was associated with reduced expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, and VEGF, resulting in inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis. OGT-mediated regulation of invasion and angiogenesis was dependent upon regulation of the oncogenic transcription factor FoxM1, a key regulator of invasion and angiogenesis, as reducing OGT expression led to increased FoxM1 protein degradation. Conversely, overexpression of a degradation-resistant FoxM1 mutant abrogated OGT RNAi-mediated effects on invasion, MMP levels, angiogenesis, and VEGF expression. Using a mouse model of metastasis, we found that reduction of OGT expression blocked bone metastasis. Altogether, these data suggest that as prostate cancer cells alter glucose and glutamine levels, O-GlcNAc modifications and OGT levels become elevated and are required for regulation of malignant properties, implicating OGT as a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of cancer.

Diverse regulation of protein function by O-GlcNAc: a nuclear and cytoplasmic carbohydrate post-translational modification

N-Acetylglucosamine O-linked to serines and threonines of cytosolic and nuclear proteins (O-GlcNAc) is an abundant reversible post-translational modification found in all higher eukaryotes. Evidence for functional regulation of proteins by this dynamic saccharide is rapidly accumulating. Deletion of the gene encoding the enzyme that attaches O-GlcNAc (OGT) is lethal at the single cell level, indicating the fundamental requirement for this modification. Recent studies demonstrate a role for O-GlcNAcylation in processes as diverse as transcription in the nucleus and signaling in the cytoplasm, suggesting that O-GlcNAc has both protein and site-specific influences on biochemistry and metabolism throughout the cell.

Hyper-O-GlcNAcylation is anti-apoptotic and maintains constitutive NF-κB activity in pancreatic cancer cells

Background: Cancer cells rely on energy metabolism that requires increased glucose uptake and constitutive NF-κB activity for survival. Results: Pancreatic cancer cells display elevated O-GlcNAcylation, reduction of which inhibits cell survival and oncogenic NF-κB signaling. Conclusion: Hyper-O-GlcNAcylation is anti-apoptotic and contributes to NF-κB activation in pancreatic cancer. Significance: Targeting hyper-O-GlcNAcylation may serve as a novel therapeutic intervention in pancreatic cancer. Cancer cell metabolic reprogramming includes a shift in energy production from oxidative phosphorylation to less efficient glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen (Warburg effect) and use of glutamine for increased biosynthetic needs. This necessitates greatly increased glucose and glutamine uptake, both of which enter the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP). The HBP end product UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) is used in enzymatic post-translational modification of many cytosolic and nuclear proteins by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). Here, we observed increased HBP flux and hyper-O-GlcNAcylation in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC hyper-O-GlcNAcylation was associated with elevation of OGT and reduction of the enzyme that removes O-GlcNAc (OGA). Reducing hyper-O-GlcNAcylation had no effect on non-transformed pancreatic epithelial cell growth, but inhibited PDAC cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, orthotopic tumor growth, and triggered apoptosis. PDAC is supported by oncogenic NF-κB transcriptional activity. The NF-κB p65 subunit and upstream kinases IKKα/IKKβ were O-GlcNAcylated in PDAC. Reducing hyper-O-GlcNAcylation decreased PDAC cell p65 activating phosphorylation (S536), nuclear translocation, NF-κB transcriptional activity, and target gene expression. Conversely, mimicking PDAC hyper-O-GlcNAcylation through pharmacological inhibition of OGA suppressed suspension culture-induced apoptosis and increased IKKα and p65 O-GlcNAcylation, accompanied by activation of NF-κB signaling. Finally, reducing p65 O-GlcNAcylation specifically by mutating two p65 O-GlcNAc sites (T322A and T352A) attenuated the induction of PDAC cell anchorage-independent growth. Our data indicate that hyper-O-GlcNAcylation is anti-apoptotic and contributes to NF-κB oncogenic activation in PDAC.

In Vivo Modulation of O-GlcNAc Levels Regulates Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity through Interplay with Phosphorylation

O-Linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a cytosolic and nuclear carbohydrate post-translational modification most abundant in brain. We recently reported uniquely extensive O-GlcNAc modification of proteins that function in synaptic vesicle release and post-synaptic signal transduction. Here we examined potential roles for O-GlcNAc in mouse hippocampal synaptic transmission and plasticity. O-GlcNAc modifications and the enzyme catalyzing their addition (O-GlcNAc transferase) were enriched in hippocampal synaptosomes. Pharmacological elevation or reduction of O-GlcNAc levels had no effect on Schaffer collateral CA1 basal hippocampal synaptic transmission. However, in vivo elevation of O-GlcNAc levels enhanced long term potentiation (LTP), an electrophysiological correlate to some forms of learning/memory. Reciprocally, pharmacological reduction of O-GlcNAc levels blocked LTP. Additionally, elevated O-GlcNAc led to reduced paired-pulse facilitation, a form of short term plasticity attributed to presynaptic mechanisms. Synapsin I and II are presynaptic proteins that increase synaptic vesicle availability for release when phosphorylated, thus contributing to hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Synapsins are among the most extensively O-GlcNAc-modified proteins known. Elevating O-GlcNAc levels increased phosphorylation of Synapsin I/II at serine 9 (cAMP-dependent protein kinase substrate site), serine 62/67 (Erk 1/2 (MAPK 1/2) substrate site), and serine 603 (calmodulin kinase II site). Activation-specific phosphorylation events on Erk 1/2 and calmodulin kinase II, two proteins required for CA1 hippocampal LTP establishment, were increased in response to elevation of O-GlcNAc levels. Thus, O-GlcNAc is a novel regulatory signaling component of excitatory synapses, with specific roles in synaptic plasticity that involve interplay with phosphorylation.

O-GlcNAc in cancer biology

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.