Direct One-Step Fluorescent Labeling of O-GlcNAc-Modified Proteins in Live Cells Using Metabolic Intermediates

The modification of proteins with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) by the enzyme O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) has emerged as an important regulator of cellular physiology. Metabolic labeling strategies to monitor O-GlcNAcylation in cells have proven of great value for uncovering the molecular roles of O-GlcNAc. These strategies rely on two-step labeling procedures, which limits the scope of experiments that can be performed. Here, we report on the creation of fluorescent uridine 5′-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) analogues in which the N-acyl group of glucosamine is modified with a suitable linker and fluorophore. Using human OGT, we show these donor sugar substrates permit direct monitoring of OGT activity on protein substrates in vitro. We show that feeding cells with a corresponding fluorescent metabolic precursor for the last step of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) leads to its metabolic assimilation and labeling of O-GlcNAcylated proteins within live cells. This one-step met...