Advances in O-GalNAc glycosylation research based on biological mass spectrometry

Glycosylation is one of the most common and important post-translational modifications of proteins in eukaryotic cells. It is prevalent in cell membrane proteins and secreted proteins, performing important biological functions. Major types of protein glycosylation include N -glycosylation and O -glycosylation. O -GalNAc glycosylation is an important form of O -glycosylation and plays vital roles in regulating many key biological processes. It has close correlation with the occurrence and development of cancer. Thanks to powerful metabolic labeling methods, chemical derivatization approaches, mass spectrometry techniques and gene editing technology, the identification and elucidation of O -GalNAc glycosylation sites and sugar chains are developing rapidly. This paper reviews the advances in research of O -GalNAc glycosylation in recent years.