O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) in the Context of Prenatal Stress: Current Perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v104i6e-234285Keywords:
Neurodevelopment, OGT protein, prenatal stress, sex bias, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase, placentaAbstract
Exposure to stress during the gestational period can adversely affect fetal development, leading to both short- and long-term consequences. Such exposure disrupts metabolic and transcriptional pathways and triggers compensatory responses that may impair fetal and neural programming. The O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) protein has emerged as a potential biomarker of prenatal stress due to its key regulatory role in intracellular signaling and epigenetic modulation. This narrative review synthesizes current findings on the involvement of OGT in metabolic and transcriptional pathways and how these are influenced by gestational stress. A key knowledge gap remains: while cellular stress responses usually increase OGT activity, placental stress is linked to reduced OGT expression. Understanding this paradox is essential to clarify tissue-specific and sex-specific mechanisms of vulnerability. OGT regulates a wide range of cellular processes, including transcription, protein synthesis and degradation, and protein-protein interactions or localization. Under stress conditions, OGT activity typically increases as part of an adaptive response. However, in placental tissue, gestational stress may lead to reduced OGT expression, affecting fetal programming, hypothalamic functions, and epigenetic regulation. Interestingly, OGT appears to be more highly expressed in female placentas, up to twice as much as in male placentas, suggesting a sex-specific post-translational regulatory profile that may confer differential susceptibility to prenatal stress.
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