A post‑translational modification linking cellular metabolism to epigenetic and signaling pathways.
This process is regulated by a range of enzymes and metabolites, including lactate.
Review Articles
Histone and non-histone lactylation: molecular mechanisms, biological functions, diseases, and therapeutic targets
Peng et al. 2025
Review Article
"Beyond chromatin, [lactylation] has also been identified in a growing number of non‑histone proteins, ... such as AARS1‑K120la, ACSS2‑Kla, MRE11‑K673la, NBS1 K388la and GNAT13‑Kla has illuminated novel regulatory mechanisms and reinforced the potential of non‑histone [lactylation] as a promising avenue for research."
"In this review, we systematically summarize the molecular mechanisms, biological functions, disease associations, and therapeutic implications of both histone and non‑histone [lactylation]."
Lactylation: From Homeostasis to Pathological Implications and Therapeutic Strategies
Chen et al. 2025
Review Article
"This review systematically explores the enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms underlying protein lactylation, shedding light on the interplay between cellular metabolism and epigenetic control."
"We comprehensively analyze its biological functions in normal physiology, such as immune homeostasis and tissue repair, and its dysregulation in pathological contexts, including cancer, inflammation, and metabolic disorders."
"Moreover, we discuss advanced detection technologies and potential therapeutic interventions targeting lactylation pathways."
Lactylation: From Molecular Insights to Disease Relevance
Xu et al. 2025
Review Article
"We hope to explore lactylation targets for different diseases, thus providing potential clues for new therapeutic strategies."
Lactylation: novel epigenetic regulatory and therapeutic opportunities
Fan et al. 2023
Review Article
"Based on our review, the cross talk between the metabolome and epigenome induced by glycolysis may indicate novel epigenetic regulatory and therapeutic opportunities."
Lactylation: The emerging frontier in post-translational modification
Lu et al. 2024
Review Article
"This review aims to succinctly outline the process of lactylation modification and the characterization of protein lactylation across diverse organisms."
"Additionally, a summary of the regulatory mechanisms of lactylation in cellular processes and specific diseases is presented."
"Finally, this review concludes by delineating existing research gaps in lactylation and proposing primary directions for future investigations."
Research Articles
Metabolic regulation of gene expression by histone lactylation
Zhang et al. 2020
Author Manuscript
"Here we report lactate-derived histone lysine lactylation as a new epigenetic modification and demonstrate that histone lactylation directly stimulates gene transcription from chromatin."
"Collectively, our results suggest the presence of an endogenous “lactate clock” in bacterially challenged M1 macrophages that turns on gene expression to promote homeostasis."
Data Articles
Global profiling of protein lactylation in Caenorhabditis elegans
Ding et al. 2023
Dataset Brief
"Thus, we studied the lactylation of global proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans to obtain aninvivolactylome."
"This study establishes the first lactylome database in C. elegans and provides a basis for studying the role of lactylation."