O-GlcNAcylation enhances the invasion of thyroid anaplastic cancer cells partially by PI3K/Akt1 pathway.

Background The PI3K family participates in multiple signaling pathways to regulate cellular functions. PI3K/Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in tumorigenesis and development. O-GlcNAcylation, a posttranslational modification, is thought to modulate a wide range of biological processes, such as transcription, cell growth, signal transduction, and cell motility. O-GlcNAcylation is catalyzed by the nucleocytoplasmic enzymes, OGT and OGA, which adds or removes O-GlcNAc moieties, respectively. Abnormal O-GlcNAcylation has been implicated in a variety of human diseases. However, the role of O-GlcNAcylation in tumorigenesis and progression of cancer is still under-investigated. Understanding the O-GlcNAc-associated molecular mechanism might be significant for diagnosis and therapy of cancer.