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REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cellular Biochemistry
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1535611
This article is part of the Research Topic Protein Lactylation in Disease Progression: Biological Function and Therapeutic Targets View all 3 articles

Non-Histone Lactylation: Unveiling Its Functional Significance

Provisionally accepted
Pusong Shi Pusong Shi 1*Shaolu Zhang Shaolu Zhang 2*Yongjie Ma Yongjie Ma 2*
  • 1 Graduate School of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
  • 2 Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Lactylation, a newly discovered protein posttranslational modification (PTM) in 2019, primarily occurs on lysine residues. Lactylation of histones was initially identified, and subsequent studies have increasingly demonstrated its widespread presence on non-histone proteins. Recently, high-throughput proteomics studies have identified a large number of lactylated proteins and sites, revealing their global regulatory role in disease development. Notably, this modification is catalyzed by lactyltransferase and reversed by delactylase, with numerous new enzymes, such as AARS1/2, reported to be involved.Specifically, these studies have revealed how lactylation exerts its influence through alterations in protein spatial conformation, molecular interactions, enzyme activity and subcellular localization. Indeed, lactylation is implicated in various physiological and pathological processes, including tumor development, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, immune cell activation and psychiatric disorders. This review provides the latest advancements in research on the regulatory roles of non-histone protein lactylation, highlighting its crucial scientific importance for future studies.

    Keywords: Non-histone, lactylation, posttranslational modification, Lysine, Metabolism

    Received: 27 Nov 2024; Accepted: 09 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Shi, Zhang and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Pusong Shi, Graduate School of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
    Shaolu Zhang, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
    Yongjie Ma, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.