Open Access

REVIEW

Ubiquitin-like posttranslational modifications in NAFLD progression and treatment

FUJI YANG¹, YAN HUANG¹, YOUWEN TAN^2,*, YONGMIN YAN^1,*

1 Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine of Jiangsu Province, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
2 The Affiliated Third Hospital of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

* Corresponding Authors:YONGMIN YAN, ; YOUWEN TAN,

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Stem Cells, Protein Therapeutics, and Regenerative Medicine)

BIOCELL 2022, 46(2), 389-400. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2021.015899

Received 22 January 2021; Accepted 10 March 2021; Issue published 20 October 2021

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a long-lasting condition that affects the liver, destroying its function. Liver injury can cause steatosis and inflammation, and further activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) often leads to the development of nonalcoholic liver fibrosis. The patient with NAFLD is at risk of developing advanced liver disease and complications, such as liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and portal hypertension. Although our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of NAFLD has greatly improved in recent years, treatment remains limited. Analysis and characterization of protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs) could improve our understanding of NAFLD pathology and leading to the development of new and more effective treatments. In recent years, a number of studies have described how ubiquitin-like (Ubl)-PTMs change during NAFLD and how treatments targeting specific enzymes mediating these Ubl-PTMs can improve various liver diseases, particularly in relation to NAFLD and nonalcoholic liver fibrosis. New strategies for evaluating modified proteomes could provide novel insights into the roles of Ubl-PTMs in NAFLD progression and the therapeutic value of targeting the proteins involved in these Ubl-PTMs.

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