FLI-1 functionally interacts with PIASxalpha, a member of the PIAS E3 SUMO ligase family

Tissue-specific inhibition of protein sumoylation uncovers diverse SUMO functions during C. elegans vulval development

The sumoylation (SUMO) pathway is involved in a variety of processes during C. elegans development, such as gonadal and vulval fate specification, cell cycle progression and maintenance of chromosome structure. The ubiquitous expression and pleiotropic effects have made it difficult to dissect the tissue-specific functions of the SUMO pathway and identify its target proteins. To overcome these challenges, we have established tools to block protein sumoylation and degrade sumoylated target proteins in a tissue-specific and temporally controlled manner. We employed the auxin-inducible protein degradation system (AID) to down-regulate the SUMO E3 ligase GEI-17 or the SUMO ortholog SMO-1, either in the vulval precursor cells (VPCs) or in the gonadal anchor cell (AC). Our results indicate that the SUMO pathway acts in multiple tissues to control different aspects of vulval development, such as AC positioning, basement membrane (BM) breaching, VPC fate specification and morphogenesis. Inhibition of protein sumoylation in the VPCs resulted in abnormal toroid formation and ectopic cell fusions during vulval morphogenesis. In particular, sumoylation of the ETS transcription factor LIN-1 at K169 is necessary for the proper contraction of the ventral vulA toroids. Thus, the SUMO pathway plays several distinct roles throughout vulval development.

Many proteins are chemically modified after they have been synthesized. In particular, conjugation with the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) regulates the functions and activities of a large number of proteins in animal and plant cells.

Here, we have used the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study the various effects of SUMO protein modification on organ development. By applying a tissue-specific protein degradation system, we could selectively block the SUMO pathway in different tissues of the animals. We focused on the development of the egg-laying organ as a model, and found that the SUMO pathway acts in multiple tissues to regulate distinct cellular functions. Finally, we show that SUMO modification of one transcription factor, called LIN-1, is necessary for the proper morphogenesis of the organ. Our results indicate that the manifold effects of the SUMO pathway can be attributed to the combined action of a distinct number of SUMO modified proteins acting in different cell types.

Chordate PIAS proteins act as conserved repressors of the TRAF6 self-polyubiquitination

In mammals, PIAS proteins are important SUMO E3 ligases and act as versatile regulators of over sixty different proteins, including components from the NF-κB pathways. But the PIAS functions are not well-understood due to complicated molecular mechanisms and multiple gene paralogs with overlapping roles, which is especially true in lower vertebrates where dedicated studies are scarce. As a basal chordate with a single PIAS gene, amphioxus is a convenient model to study PIAS from the evolutionary perspective. TRAF6 is a critical adaptor of the NF-κB pathways but it is not known whether TRAF6 is regulated by PIAS. Here we discover that in mammalian cells, amphioxus PIAS inhibited NF-κB activation by co-localizing and binding with TRAF6. The interaction relied on the N-terminal SAP and PINIT domains of PIAS. TRAF6 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase, which initiates downstream NF-κB signaling by promoting its self-ubiquitination. Both amphioxus SUMO1 and Ubc9 (SUMO E2 ligase) could suppress TRAF6 self-ubiquitination and NF-κB activation, suggesting that the SUMOylation activity competed away the ubiquitination activity of TRAF6. However, we show that the wild-type PIAS and the mutant PIAS without SUMO E3 ligase activity both could inhibit TRAF6-mediated NF-κB activation by reducing TRAF6 self-ubiquitination. This implies that SUMO ligase activity is not the only mechanism for PIAS to negatively regulate TRAF6. Finally, we tested the interactions between human PIAS1-4 and TRAF6. It reveals that human PIAS1, 3 and 4, but not 2, were able to repress NF-κB activation by reducing TRAF6 self-ubiquitination. Taken together, our study discovers a conserved regulatory interaction between chordate PIAS and TRAF6. It therefore sheds light on the complicated role of PIAS in immune regulation, and may help to understand the PIAS functions in other lower chordate taxa, such as jawless and jawed fishes.

Quantitative SUMO proteomics identifies PIAS1 substrates involved in cell migration and motility

The protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 (PIAS1) is an E3 SUMO ligase that plays important roles in various cellular pathways. Increasing evidence shows that PIAS1 is overexpressed in various human malignancies, including prostate and lung cancers. Here we used quantitative SUMO proteomics to identify potential substrates of PIAS1 in a system-wide manner. We identified 983 SUMO sites on 544 proteins, of which 62 proteins were assigned as putative PIAS1 substrates. In particular, vimentin (VIM), a type III intermediate filament protein involved in cytoskeleton organization and cell motility, was SUMOylated by PIAS1 at Lys-439 and Lys-445 residues. VIM SUMOylation was necessary for its dynamic disassembly and cells expressing a non-SUMOylatable VIM mutant showed a reduced level of migration. Our approach not only enables the identification of E3 SUMO ligase substrates but also yields valuable biological insights into the unsuspected role of PIAS1 and VIM SUMOylation on cell motility.

PIAS1 is an E3 SUMO ligase involved in various cellular processes. Here, the authors use quantitative proteomics to identify potential PIAS1 substrates in human cells and elucidate the biological consequences of PIAS1-mediated SUMOylation of vimentin.

SUMO3 modification by PIAS1 modulates androgen receptor cellular distribution and stability

Background

Abnormal reactivation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) mainly results from overexpression and down-regulation of AR. Sumoylation of AR can influence its function. However, regulation of AR sumoylation by SUMO E3 ligases PIASs to modify AR distribution and stability are not well understood.

Methods

We assessed the potential effect of SUMO3 modification on AR intracellular localization by immunostaining in AR-negative prostate cancer DU145 cells, and detected the effect of PIAS1/SUMO3 overexpression on AR sumoylation related degradation. Then we characterized AR sumoylation sites involved modified by SUMO3, and the key residue of PIAS1 involved in itself sumoylation and further mediated AR sumoylation (sumo3-conjugated), translocation and degradation. Finally we detected the recognition of PIAS1 (sumoylation ligase) to MDM2, a ubiquin ligase mediated AR degradation.

Results

We demonstrate that SUMO E3 ligase PIAS1, along with SUMO3, mediates AR cytosolic translocation and subsequent degradation via a ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Although AR sumoylation occurs prior to ubiquitination, the SUMO-acceptor lysine 386 on AR, together with ubiquitin-acceptor lysine 845, contribute to PIAS1/SUMO3-induced AR nuclear export, ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. Moreover, PIAS1 itself is modified by SUMO3 overexpression, and mutation of SUMO-acceptor lysine 117 on PIAS1 can impair AR cytoplasmic distribution, demonstrating the essential role of sumoylated PIAS1 in AR translocation. We further determine that sumoylated PIAS1 interacts with AR lysine 386 and 845 to form a binary complex. Consistent with the effect on AR distribution, SUMO3 modification of PIAS1 is also required for AR ubiquitination and degradation by recruiting ubiquitin E3 ligase MDM2.

Conclusion

Taken together, SUMO3 modification of PIAS1 modulates AR cellular distribution and stability. Our study provided the evidence the crosstalk between AR sumoylation and ubquitination mediated by PIAS1 and SUMO3.

Regulation of endothelial cell development by ETS transcription factors

The ETS family of transcription factors plays an essential role in controlling endothelial gene expression. Multiple members of the ETS family are expressed in the developing endothelium and evidence suggests that the proteins function, to some extent, redundantly. However, recent studies have demonstrated a crucial non-redundant role for ETV2, as a primary player in specification and differentiation of the endothelial lineage. Here, we review the contribution of ETS factors, and their partner proteins, to the regulation of embryonic vascular development.

Phosphorylation-dependent interaction of SATB1 and PIAS1 directs SUMO-regulated caspase cleavage of SATB1

Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 (SATB1) is a tissue-restricted genome organizer that provides a key link between DNA loop organization, chromatin modification/remodeling, and transcription factor association at matrix attachment regions (MARs). The SUMO E3 ligase PIAS1 enhances SUMO conjugation to SATB1 lysine-744, and this modification regulates caspase-6 mediated cleavage of SATB1 at promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML NBs). Since this regulated caspase cleavage occurs on only a subset of SATB1, and the products are relatively stable, proteolysis likely mediates cellular processes other than programmed cell death. However, the mechanism for the spatial and temporal regulation of SATB1 sumoylation and caspase cleavage is not known. Here we report that these processes are controlled by SATB1 phosphorylation; specifically, PIAS1 interaction with SATB1 is inhibited by phosphorylation. Mutagenesis studies identified interaction of the PIAS SAP (scaffold attachment factor-A/B/acinus/PIAS) motif with SATB1 N-terminal sequences. Notably, phosphorylation of SATB1 at threonine-188 regulates its interaction with PIAS1. Sequences near this phosphorylation site, LXXLL (residues 193 to 197), appear to be conserved among a subset of SUMO substrate proteins. Thus, this motif may be commonly involved in interaction with the PIAS SAP, and phosphorylation may similarly inhibit some of these substrates by preventing their interaction with the ligase.

A review of post-translational modifications and subcellular localization of Ets transcription factors: possible connection with cancer and involvement in the hypoxic response

Post-translational modifications and subcellular localizations modulate transcription factors, generating a code that is deciphered into an activity. We describe our current understanding of these processes for Ets factors, which have recently been recognized for their importance in various biological processes. We present the global picture for the family, and then focus on particular aspects related to cancer and hypoxia. The analysis of Post-translational modification and cellular localization is only beginning to enter the age of "omic," high content, systems biology. Our snap-shots of particularly active fields point to the directions in which new techniques will be needed, in our search for a more complete description of regulatory pathways.

PIAS proteins: pleiotropic interactors associated with SUMO

The interactions and functions of protein inhibitors of activated STAT (PIAS) proteins are not restricted to the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs), but PIAS1, -2, -3 and -4 interact with and regulate a variety of distinct proteins, especially transcription factors. Although the majority of PIAS-interacting proteins are prone to modification by small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteins and the PIAS proteins have the capacity to promote the modification as RING-type SUMO ligases, they do not function solely as SUMO E3 ligases. Instead, their effects are often independent of their Siz/PIAS (SP)-RING finger, but dependent on their capability to noncovalently interact with SUMOs or DNA through their SUMO-interacting motif and scaffold attachment factor-A/B, acinus and PIAS domain, respectively. Here, we present an overview of the cellular regulation by PIAS proteins and propose that many of their functions are due to their capability to mediate and facilitate SUMO-linked protein assemblies.

Tollip is a mediator of protein sumoylation

Tollip is an interactor of the interleukin-1 receptor involved in its activation. The endosomal turnover of ubiquitylated IL-1RI is also controlled by Tollip. Furthermore, together with Tom1, Tollip has a general role in endosomal protein traffic. This work shows that Tollip is involved in the sumoylation process. Using the yeast two-hybrid technique, we have isolated new Tollip partners including two sumoylation enzymes, SUMO-1 and the transcriptional repressor Daxx. The interactions were confirmed by GST-pull down experiments and immunoprecipitation of the co-expressed recombinants. More specifically, we show that the TIR domain of the cytoplasmic region of IL-1RI is a sumoylation target of Tollip. The sumoylated and unsumoylated RanGAP-1 protein also interacts with Tollip, suggesting a possible role in RanGAP-1 modification and nuclear-cytoplasmic protein translocation. In fact, Tollip is found in the nuclear bodies of SAOS-2/IL-1RI cells where it colocalizes with SUMO-1 and the Daxx repressor. We conclude that Tollip is involved in the control of both nuclear and cytoplasmic protein traffic, through two different and often contrasting processes: ubiquitylation and sumoylation.

Identification of a new site of sumoylation on Tel (ETV6) uncovers a PIAS-dependent mode of regulating Tel function

Cell proliferation and differentiation are governed by a finely controlled balance between repression and activation of gene expression. The vertebrate Ets transcriptional repressor Tel (ETV6) and its invertebrate orthologue Yan, play pivotal roles in cell fate determination although the precise mechanisms by which repression of gene expression by these factors is achieved are not clearly defined. Here, we report the identification and characterization of the primary site of sumoylation of Tel, lysine 11 (K11), which is highly conserved in vertebrates (except Danio rerio). We demonstrate that in cells PIAS3 binds to Tel and stimulates sumoylation of K11 in the nucleus. Both Tel monomers and oligomers are efficiently sumoylated on K11 in vitro; but in cells only Tel oligomers are found conjugated with SUMO, whereas sumoylation of Tel monomers is transitory and appears to sensitize them for proteasomal degradation. Mechanistically, sumoylation of K11 inhibits repression of gene expression by full-length Tel. In accordance with this observation, we found that sumoylation impedes Tel association with DNA. By contrast, a Tel isoform lacking K11 (TelM43) is strongly repressive. This isoform results from translation from an alternative initiation codon (M43) that is common to all Tel proteins that also contain the K11 sumoylation consensus site. We find that PIAS3 may have a dual, context-dependent influence on Tel; it mediates Tel sumoylation, but it also augments Tel's repressive function in a sumoylation-independent fashion. Our data support a model that suggests that PIAS-mediated sumoylation of K11 and the emergence of TelM43 in early vertebrates are linked and that this serves to refine spatiotemporal control of gene expression by Tel by establishing a pool of Tel molecules that are available either to be recycled to reinforce repression of gene expression or are degraded in a regulated fashion.

PIAS proteins as regulators of small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) modifications and transcription

Transcriptional activity of signal-dependent transcription factors, including nuclear receptors, relies on interacting co-regulator proteins, many of which possess protein-modifying activity. SUMOs (small ubiquitin-related modifiers) and their conjugation pathway components act as co-regulator proteins for numerous transcription factors that also are often targets for SUMO modification. PIAS [protein inhibitor of activated STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription)] proteins promote SUMOylation in a manner that resembles the action of RING-type ubiquitin E3 ligases. PIAS proteins were initially named for their ability to interact with STAT proteins and inhibit their activity, but their interactions and functions are not restricted to the STATs. Moreover, PIAS proteins do not operate merely as SUMO E3s, since their co-regulator effects are often independent of their RING finger but dependent on their SIM (SUMO-interacting motif) or SAP (scaffold attachment factor-A/B/acinus/PIAS) domain capable of interacting with DNA. The modulator activity imparted by the PIAS/SUMO system involves altered subnuclear targeting and/or assembly of transcription complexes. PIAS proteins may act as platforms that facilitate both removal and recruitment of other regulatory proteins in the transcription complexes.

SUMO4 and its role in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis

Susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D) is determined by interactions of multiple genes with unknown environmental factors. Despite the characterization of over 20 susceptibility regions for T1D, identification of specific genes in these regions is still a formidable challenge. In 2004, we first reported the cloning of a novel, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) gene, SUMO4, in the IDDM5 interval on chromosome 6q25, and presented strong genetic and functional evidence suggesting that SUMO4 is a T1D susceptibility gene. Subsequent studies have consistently confirmed this association in multiple Asian populations despite controversial observations in Caucasians. In this review, we will update the genetic evidence supporting SUMO4 as a T1D susceptibility gene and discuss the possible explanations for the discrepant associations observed in Caucasians. We will then discuss the mechanisms through which SUMO4 contributes to the pathogenesis of T1D.

Regulation of vascular inflammation and remodeling by ETS factors

The ETS (E26 Transformation-specific Sequence) factors are comprised of a family of transcription factors that share a highly conserved DNA binding domain. Although originally described for their role as protooncogenes in the development of several types of human cancer, they have subsequently been shown to regulate a wide variety of biological processes including cellular growth and differentiation under normal and pathological conditions. As transcription factors, they can either function as activators or repressors of gene expression. Several ETS family members are expressed in cells of vascular origin, including endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells, where they regulate the expression of a number of vascular-specific genes. In the past few years, emerging evidence supports a novel role for selected ETS family members in the regulation of vascular inflammation and remodeling. ETS factor expression can be induced by proinflammatory cytokines, growth factors, and vasoactive peptides. Examples of some of the target genes regulated by ETS factors include adhesion molecules, chemokines, and matrix metalloproteinases. Targeted disruption of selected ETS family members such as Ets-1 in mice is associated with marked reductions in the recruitment of inflammatory cells and vascular remodeling in response to systemic administration of the vasoactive peptide angiotensin II. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of recent advances that have been made in defining a role for selected members of the ETS transcription factor family in the regulation of vascular-specific gene expression, vascular inflammation, and remodeling.

Salicylic acid-mediated innate immunity in Arabidopsis is regulated by SIZ1 SUMO E3 ligase

Reversible modifications of target proteins by small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins are involved in many cellular processes in yeast and animals. Yet little is known about the function of sumoylation in plants. Here, we show that the SIZ1 gene, which encodes an Arabidopsis SUMO E3 ligase, regulates innate immunity. Mutant siz1 plants exhibit constitutive systemic-acquired resistance (SAR) characterized by elevated accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), increased expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, and increased resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000. Transfer of the NahG gene to siz1 plants results in reversal of these phenotypes back to wild-type. Analyses of the double mutants, npr1 siz1, pad4 siz1 and ndr1 siz1 revealed that SIZ1 controls SA signalling. SIZ1 interacts epistatically with PAD4 to regulate PR expression and disease resistance. Consistent with these observations, siz1 plants exhibited enhanced resistance to Pst DC3000 expressing avrRps4, a bacterial avirulence determinant that responds to the EDS1/PAD4-dependent TIR-NBS-type R gene. In contrast, siz1 plants were not resistant to Pst DC3000 expressing avrRpm1, a bacterial avirulence determinant that responds to the NDR1-dependent CC-NBS-type R gene. Jasmonic acid (JA)-induced PDF1.2 expression and susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea were unaltered in siz1 plants. Taken together, these results demonstrate that SIZ1 is required for SA and PAD4-mediated R gene signalling, which in turn confers innate immunity in Arabidopsis.

Regulation of the Ets-1 transcription factor by sumoylation and ubiquitinylation

Sumoylation and ubiquitinylation reversibly regulate the activity of transcription factors through covalent attachment to lysine residues of target proteins. We examined whether the Ets-1 transcription factor is modified by sumoylation and/or ubiquitinylation. Among four potential SUMO motifs in Ets-1, we identified lysines 15 and 227 within the LK(15)YE and IK(227)QE motifs, as being the sumoylation acceptor sites. Using transfection of Ets-1 wildtype (WT) or its sumoylation deficient version (Ets-1 K15R/K227R), as well as WT or mutant proteins of the SUMO pathway, we further demonstrated that the E2 SUMO-conjugating enzyme Ubc9 and a E3 SUMO ligase, PIASy, can enhance Ets-1 sumoylation, while a SUMO protease, SENP1, can desumoylate Ets-1. We also found that Ets-1 is modified by K48-linked polyubiquitinylation independently of the sumoylation acceptor sites and is degraded through the 26S proteasome pathway, while sumoylation of Ets-1 does not affect its stability. Finally, sumoylation of Ets-1 leads to reduced transactivation and we demonstrated that previously identified critical lysine residues in Synergistic Control motifs are the sumoylation acceptor sites of Ets-1. These data show that Ets-1 can be modified by sumoylation and/or ubiquitinylation, with sumoylation repressing transcriptional activity of Ets-1 and having no clear antagonistic action on the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway.