Glycosyltransferases and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver disease and its incidence is increasing worldwide. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to the development of NAFLD are still not fully understood. Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are a diverse class of enzymes involved in catalyzing the transfer of one or multiple sugar residues to a wide range of acceptor molecules. GTs mediate a wide range of functions from structure and storage to signaling, and play a key role in many fundamental biological processes. Therefore, it is anticipated that GTs have a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. In this article, we present an overview of the basic information on NAFLD, particularly GTs and glycosylation modification of certain molecules and their association with NAFLD pathogenesis. In addition, the effects and mechanisms of some GTs in the development of NAFLD are summarized.

Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Pathogenesis; Glycosyltransferases; Glycosylation

Core tip: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by a very complicated process which is regulated by a number of protein molecules. Glycosylation, one of the most common post-translational modifications of proteins in eukaryotic cells, has been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. As glycosylation is mainly mediated through glycosyltransferases (GTs), it seems reasonable to speculate that the GTs play an important role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.