SUMOylation: A link to future therapeutics

Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2016:18:49-56. Epub 2015 Aug 3.

Abstract

SUMOylation, much of a similar process like ubiquitination catches attention across various research groups as a potential therapeutic target to fight various infectious and cancerous diseases. This idea take its strength from recent reports which unearth the molecular mechanisms of SUMOylation and its involvement in important diseases distributed across various kingdoms. At the beginning SUMOylation was considered a process affected only by viral diseases but subsequent reports enlighten its role in diseases caused by bacteria as well. This enhances the SUMOylation canvas and demanded more in-depth study of the process. The present review is an attempt to study the regulatory mechanism of genes when the natural SUMOylation pathway is disturbed, the cross-talk among SUMOylation and other post translational modifications, the role of miRNAs in controlling the function of transcripts, loading of RNA species into exosomes and the possible SUMOylation related therapeutic targets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate
  • Inflammation / metabolism
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Sumoylation*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins