OGA mRNA levels were also increased in leucocytes from patients with diabetes and were correlated with mRNA coding for two pro-inflammatory proteins, TNFα and TxNIP.Therefore, OGA activity in leucocytes might be a more easily accessible biomarker than OGA expression levels.
In some cohorts of patients with diabetes (DM), tubular proteinuria preceded microalbuminuria, and similar to the findings reported by Han et al. in this issue of the journal, the tubular origin of these proteins was confirmed through correlations with the increased urinary concentrations of N‑Acetyl‑β‑d‑Glucosaminidase (NAG), a marker of tubular-lysosomal injury.
Disruptions in the cycling of O-GlcNAc mediated by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA), respectively, is a driving force for aberrant cell signaling in disease pathologies, such as diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Concerning sulfated polysaccharides, the activities of β-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase, and N-acetyl-β-d-galactosaminidase were also decreased in DM-30, while aryl sulfatases did not vary.