Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 9, 2025

A Method to Study α-Synuclein Toxicity and Aggregation Using a Humanized Yeast Model
Published on: November 25, 2022
O-GlcNAcylation inhibits the oligomerization of alpha-synuclein by declining intermolecular hydrogen bonds through a
Kai Wu1,2, Dechang Li1, Peng Xiu1
1Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Toxic abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) is a feature of Parkinson's disease. Several biochemical and biophysical studies have demonstrated that many post-translational modifications (PTM) of α-Syn could distinctly alleviate its oligomerization-mediated toxicity. Recently, a compelling link is emerging between the PTM O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) and protein aggregation, yet the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Based on the all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we found that O-GlcNAc modifications can suppress the process of oligomerization of α-Syn aggregates via a steric effect-the additional O-linked glycosyl group disrupts the formation of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between α-Syn monomers. Besides, we proposed a theoretical model to further capture the physical mechanism of α-Syn aggregation/disaggregation in the absence/presence of O-GlcNAc-modified α-Syn. Our findings unveil the molecular mechanism of the O-GlcNAc-induced inhibition of α-Syn oligomerization, which may help to understand how O-GlcNAc prevents the oligomerization of other proteins and provides the guideline for the development of O-GlcNAc-based therapeutic strategies in neurodegenerative diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...
Proteoglycans
Protein Folding Quality Check in the RER
Protein Glycosylation
Glycosylation occurs in...
Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Mechanism of Action
Reversible inhibitors like edrophonium bind to a specific part of the enzyme called the anionic catalytic site. They form noncovalent bonds, which means they are not strongly attached to the enzyme. This creates a temporary and less stable enzyme–inhibitor complex,...

