Post-translational Modifications (PTMs), from a Cancer Perspective: An Overview

Studies on post-translational modifications (PTMs) have grabbed attention of the scientific community worldwide, its role in pathogenesis of cancer and prognostic biomarkers associated with cancers. However, unraveling the specific role of PTMs in carcinogenesis or in predictive biomarkers requires holistic understanding of the cancer types and associated mechanisms. Manifestation of cancer is complex and involves multiple steps including modifications at the levels of genes, associated proteins and signaling pathways. Biomarkers, as a prognostic marker, are critical in deciding efficacy of the clinical outcomes in malignancies. Growing evidence suggests that several biomarkers that are post-translationally modified play important role in human cancers. In the current review, few of such biomarkers and targets that are post-translationally modified and are associated with carcinogenesis are collated and analyzed to provide a bird’s eye view of their role in cancer types. Such analysis will help in understanding the pathogenesis and the precise role of biomarkers in designing better therapeutic interventions for different cancer types.