the-aps.org>meetings>eb

Protein O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc): Nutrient Sensor and Modulator of Cardiovascular Function

The goal of this symposium is to explore the influence of protein O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) on the function of the cardiovascular system.

The O-linked attachment of GlcNAc onto serine/threonine residues of both cytosolic and nuclear proteins was first identified by Hart and colleagues in 1984, and it is becoming increasingly evident that changes in the level of O-GlcNAc on nucleocytoplasmic proteins play important roles in mediating signal transduction pathways in part by influencing protein phosphorylation.  Numerous proteins, including transcription factors, kinases, phosphatases, cytoskeletal proteins, nuclear hormone receptors, nuclear pore proteins, signal transduction molecules and actin regulatory proteins have been shown to be modified by O-GlcNAcylation.  Changes in O-GlcNAc levels have also been shown to affect cell survival, calcium homeostasis, and gene transcription and have been associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, insulin resistance, diabetes and atherosclerosis.  It is only within the last few years that the importance of O-GlcNAc in regulating the cardiovascular system has started to be recognized, initially in the context of diabetic complications and more recently in the context of ischemic protection. 

Therefore, in light of the increasing understanding of the impact of O-GlcNAc on cellular physiology in general and an emerging appreciation of its significance in the cardiovascular system, we believe that a symposium focusing on this topic will be especially timely.

This symposium will attract researchers with interests in diabetic complications, insulin resistance, ischemic protection, cardiac and skeletal muscle function, and cellular and molecular physiology and will therefore be of interest to members of several EB participating societies and APS sections as listed below.