Wang Han, Zhang Yiying, Luo Xu, Zheng Xinxin, Bai Guangdong, Liu Junhui
College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Biology (Basel). 2025 May 27;14(6):611. doi: 10.3390/biology14060611.
Dissecting the determinants of immune cell fate is a central challenge in immunology and is important for understanding cell differentiation, disease diagnosis, and therapy. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins are chemical modifications of amino acids involving the addition or removal of specific groups. As molecular gatekeepers of immune cell fate, PTMs affect immune function mainly through the regulation of important life processes such as immune cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, activation, and apoptosis. Among PTMs, glycosylation and acylation have emerged as critical regulatory mechanisms governing immune homeostasis. Through precise structural alterations of immune-related proteins and receptors, glycosylation shapes antigen recognition, cytokine signaling, and intercellular communication, while acylation regulates signal transduction and epigenetic modifications in both innate and adaptive immunity. These modifications are involved in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes and are intricately associated with the pathogenesis of many diseases, especially immune diseases. Therefore, this paper reviews the functions and mechanisms of glycosylation and acylation in regulating innate and acquired immunity, to provide new insights into the role of PTMs in disease pathogenesis and potential targeted therapies.
剖析免疫细胞命运的决定因素是免疫学的核心挑战，对于理解细胞分化、疾病诊断和治疗至关重要。蛋白质的翻译后修饰（PTM）是氨基酸的化学修饰，涉及特定基团的添加或去除。作为免疫细胞命运的分子守门人，PTM主要通过调节免疫细胞生长、增殖、分化、激活和凋亡等重要生命过程来影响免疫功能。在PTM中，糖基化和酰化已成为维持免疫稳态的关键调节机制。通过免疫相关蛋白和受体的精确结构改变，糖基化塑造抗原识别、细胞因子信号传导和细胞间通讯，而酰化调节先天性和适应性免疫中的信号转导和表观遗传修饰。这些修饰参与多种生物学过程的调节，并与许多疾病，尤其是免疫疾病的发病机制密切相关。因此，本文综述了糖基化和酰化在调节先天性和获得性免疫中的功能和机制，为PTM在疾病发病机制中的作用和潜在的靶向治疗提供新的见解。
