Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42471548›Full record

ReviewMolecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.)2026

OGT as a metabolic-epigenetic integrator in cancer: context-dependent mechanisms and therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Marissa El Hajje, Gustavo Henrique Goulart Trossini

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Marissa El HajjeLITEC, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508- 050, Brazil.
Gustavo Henrique Goulart TrossiniLITEC, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508- 050, Brazil. trossini@usp.br.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3634-2531

Funding

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 313782/2025-3, 436791/2018-8, 310232/2017-1 and 441004/2023-7Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo 2017/25543-8
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAccumulating evidence shows that specific dietary elements and metabolic conditions significantly regulate gene expression through epigenetic processes. These observations link the etiology of metabolic disorders and cancer to nutrient-dependent epigenetic reprogramming. In this context, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) functions as a context-dependent nutrient sensor and metabolic-epigenetic integrator. MAIN TEXT: This enzyme participates in the "histone code" by regulating gene expression and modulating chromatin remodeling. In Drosophila melanogaster, OGT is a bona fide Polycomb group (PcG) protein; however, in mammals it functions as a context-dependent, non-canonical modulator of PRC2 activity rather than a canonical PcG member. OGT interacts with Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) family proteins, which are involved in DNA hydroxylation. This suggests that O-GlcNAcylation serves as a critical bridge between dietary influences and epigenetic regulation. Evidence from animal models supports a significant role for OGT in polycomb-dependent gene silencing. Notably, OGT modifies all core histones and may constitute a vital component of the histone code. Aberrant O-GlcNAcylation of signaling proteins, metabolic enzymes, and transcriptional regulators can drive oncogenesis by dysregulating cellular proliferation, survival, and metabolic reprogramming. However, the effects of O-GlcNAcylation are not uniformly pro-oncogenic; context-dependent, tumor-suppressive, and protective functions have also been reported, underscoring the need for nuanced, cancer type-specific interpretation. OGT interacts with diverse epigenetic factors including HCF-1, TET, mSin3A, HDAC, and BAP1, linking the cellular metabolic state to the epigenetic profile of cancer cells.

conclusionsIn this review, we critically evaluate OGT's role in cancer epigenetics within a metabolism-epigenetics-signaling crosstalk framework, and discuss OGT inhibitor development and the challenges of therapeutic translation, including selectivity and bioavailability.

Indexed as

Epigenesis, GeneticN-AcetylglucosaminyltransferasesNeoplasmsAnimalsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMetabolic ReprogrammingN-AcetylglucosaminyltransferasesO-GlcNAc transferaseDrug ResistanceEpigeneticsHCF-1Hexosamine Biosynthesis PathwayHistone ModificationsO-GlcNAcylationPRC2/EZH2TET Proteins

Identifiers

PMID42471548
PMCPMC13670683

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.