Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

In Vitro SUMOylation Assay to Study SUMO E3 Ligase Activity
09:45

In Vitro SUMOylation Assay to Study SUMO E3 Ligase Activity

Published on: January 29, 2018

SUMOylation of mouse p53b by SUMO-1 promotes its pro-apoptotic function in ovarian granulosa cells

Xiao-Ming Liu1, Fei-Fei Yang, Yi-Feng Yuan

  • 1Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Education Ministry of China, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.

Plos One
|May 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

SUMO-1 modification of p53b at lysine 375 is crucial for its stability and nuclear localization in mouse granulosa cells, thereby inducing apoptosis and potentially regulating follicular atresia.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Molecular Endocrinology
  • Cellular Apoptosis

Background:

  • Follicular atresia, the degradation of ovarian follicles, hinders mammalian ovary development.
  • Apoptosis of granulosa cells is a key mechanism in follicular atresia, with several related genes identified.
  • The specific roles of p53 and its post-translational modifications in mouse granulosa cell apoptosis remain largely unelucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of p53 in mouse granulosa cells.
  • To explore the impact of SUMOylation on p53b stability, localization, and apoptotic activity.

Main Methods:

  • SUMOylation assays to determine p53b modification by SUMO-1 at lysine 375.
  • Immunofluorescence microscopy to assess the subcellular localization of wild-type and mutant p53b.
  • Gene expression analysis of apoptosis-related genes (e.g., Bax) and assessment of apoptosis levels following p53b overexpression.

Main Results:

  • Mouse p53b, not p53a, undergoes SUMOylation by SUMO-1 at lysine 375, enhancing its protein stability in a dose-dependent manner.
  • SUMOylation is essential for the nuclear localization of p53b in granulosa cells; the K375R mutant showed altered localization.
  • Overexpression of wild-type p53b, but not the SUMOylation-deficient mutant, significantly induced Bax expression and granulosa cell apoptosis.

Conclusions:

  • SUMO-1 modification of p53b at lysine 375 is critical for its apoptotic function in mouse granulosa cells.
  • This modification regulates p53b protein stability and nuclear import, suggesting a role in follicular atresia.
  • SUMO-1 conjugation of p53b may be a key regulatory mechanism controlling ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis and follicular development.

More Related Videos

In Vivo Detection and Analysis of Rb Protein SUMOylation in Human Cells09:40

In Vivo Detection and Analysis of Rb Protein SUMOylation in Human Cells

Published on: November 2, 2017

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P5314:57

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Published on: August 4, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
Meiosis II02:02

Meiosis II

Meiosis II entails cell division and segregation of the sister chromatids, resulting in the production of four unique haploid gametes. The steps for meiosis II are similar to mitosis, except that meiosis II occurs in haploid cells, whereas mitosis occurs in diploid cells.
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators02:04

Covalently Linked Protein Regulators

Proteins can undergo many types of post-translational modifications, often in response to changes in their environment. These modifications play an important role in the function and stability of these proteins. Covalently linked molecules include functional groups, such as methyl, acetyl, and phosphate groups, and also small proteins, such as ubiquitin. There are around 200 different types of covalent regulators that have been identified.
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein.