Adipogenesis stimulates the nuclear localization of EWS with an increase in its O-GlcNAc glycosylation in 3T3-L1 cells

Although the Ewing sarcoma (EWS) proto-oncoprotein is found in the nucleus and cytosol and is associated with the cell membrane, the regulatory mechanisms of its subcellular localization are still unclear. Here we found that adipogenic stimuli induce the nuclear localization of EWS in 3T3-L1 cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation in the C-terminal PY-nuclear localization signal of EWS was negative throughout adipogenesis. Instead, an adipogenesis-dependent increase in O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation of EWS was observed. Pharmacological inactivation of O-GlcNAcase in preadipocytes promoted perinuclear localization of EWS. Our findings suggest that the nuclear localization of EWS is partly regulated by the glycosylation.