In recent years, our understanding of the scope and diversity of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) has rapidly expanded. In particular, mitochondrial proteins are decorated with an array of acyl groups that can occur non-enzymatically. Interestingly, these modifying chemical moieties are often associated with intermediary metabolites from core metabolic pathways. In this Review, we describe biochemical reactions and biological mechanisms that activate carbon metabolites for protein PTM. We explore the emerging links between the intrinsic reactivity of metabolites, non-enzymatic protein acylation, and possible signaling roles for this system. Finally, we propose a model of ‘carbon stress’, similar to oxidative stress, as an effective way to conceptualize the relationship between widespread protein acylation, nutrient sensing, and metabolic homeostasis.

近年来，我们对蛋白质翻译后修饰 (PTM) 的范围和多样性的理解迅速扩大。特别是，线粒体蛋白质被一系列可以非酶促发生的酰基修饰。有趣的是，这些修饰化学部分通常与来自核心代谢途径的中间代谢物有关。在这篇综述中，我们描述了激活蛋白质 PTM 的碳代谢物的生化反应和生物学机制。我们探索了代谢物的内在反应性、非酶蛋白酰化以及该系统可能的信号传导作用之间新出现的联系。最后，我们提出了一个类似于氧化应激的“碳应激”模型，作为概念化广泛的蛋白质酰化、营养感应、