Our Research

Protein O-GlcNAcylation in health and disease

Dr. Junfeng Ma’s research team studies proteins and their post-translational modifications in physiology and pathology, with a particular focus on O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, or O-GlcNAcylation.

Our work combines analytical chemistry, proteomics, biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology. We develop chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods for precision proteomics and investigate how protein O-GlcNAcylation contributes to cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and other metabolic disorders.

Research Framework

From molecular mechanisms to biomedical applications

The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway and dynamic cycling of protein O-GlcNAcylation — Annual Review of Biochemistry 2011, 80, 825–858
The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway integrates nutrient metabolism with UDP-GlcNAc production and dynamic O-GlcNAc cycling.

Connections among chemical tools, biological roles, and biomedical applications of protein O-GlcNAcylation — Chemical Reviews 2021, **121**, 1513–1581
Chemical tools connect mechanistic studies of O-GlcNAcylation with its biological functions and biomedical applications.

O-GlcNAcylation across organisms and its diverse protein targets in cellular compartments — Chemical Reviews 2022, **122**, 15822–15864
O-GlcNAcylation is conserved across diverse organisms and regulates proteins throughout major cellular compartments and processes.

By connecting fundamental mechanisms with translational research, we aim to discover biomarkers and therapeutic opportunities for precision medicine.