Protein post-translational modifications play key roles in multiple cellular processes by allowing rapid reprogramming of individual
protein functions. Acylation, one of the most important post-translational modifications, is involved in different physiological activities including cell differentiation and energy metabolism. In recent years, the progression in technologies, especially the
antibodies against acylation and the highly sensitive and effective mass spectrometry-based proteomics, as well as optimized functional studies, greatly deepen our understanding of
protein acylation. In this review, we give a general overview of the 12 main
protein acylations (formylation, acetylation, propionylation, butyrylation, malonylation, succinylation, glutarylation, palmitoylation, myristoylation, benzoylation, crotonylation, and 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation), including their substrates (
histones and nonhistone
proteins), regulatory
enzymes (writers, readers, and erasers), biological functions (transcriptional regulation, metabolic regulation, subcellular targeting,
protein-membrane interactions, protein stability, and folding), and related diseases (
cancer, diabetes,
heart disease,
neurodegenerative disease, and
viral infection), to present a complete picture of
protein acylations and highlight their functional significance in future research.