[Progress of PTMomics in type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications]

The growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a great economic burden on the society. The pathogenesis of T2DM is a combined effect of two factors: defective insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells and peripheral insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue. Although extensive efforts have been made to investigate the pathogenesis of T2DM, the precise molecular mechanisms of the onset and progression of T2DM remain incompletely understood. Accumulating evidence suggests that post-translational modifications (PTMs) play critical roles in the development of T2DM and its complications. With the development of analytical techniques, mass spectrometry (MS), and quantitative methodologies, it is feasible to systematically characterize PTM dynamics under both physiological and T2DM conditions, thereby giving insights into the pathogenesis of T2DM and its complications. Here, we discuss the roles of PTMs including phosphorylation, acylation (acetylation, malonylation, and succinylation), O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and protein tyrosine nitration (PTN) in the pathological changes of T2DM and its complications. Furthermore, we review recent progress in the applications of post-translational modification proteomics (PTMomics) for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying T2DM and its complications.