The Molecular Mechanisms and the Role of hnRNP K Protein Post-Translational Modification in DNA Damage Repair

DNA damage repair is a kind of cellular self-protection mechanism in which some relevant proteins are activated when DNA damage response occurs in order to maintain the intracellular function stability and structure integrity. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins can rapidly confer to them more complicated structure and sophisticated function by covalently combining different small molecules with target proteins, which in turn plays an important regulatory role in DNA damage repair. It was reported that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) could be involved in DNA damage repair process under the regulation of its many post-translational modifications, including methylation, ubiquitination, sumoylation and phosphorylation. Here, we reviewed molecular mechanisms of hnRNP K protein post-translational modifications and their role in DNA damage repair, which will promote our understanding of how hnRNP K participating in the repair process to maintain the normal operation of biological activities in the cells.