Starting and stopping SUMOylation. What regulates the regulator?
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Updated: May 10, 2026

In Vitro SUMOylation Assay to Study SUMO E3 Ligase Activity
Published on: January 29, 2018
1Genome Damage and Stability Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK, f.z.watts@sussex.ac.uk.
Abstract:
A large number of proteins are modified post-translationally by the ubiquitin-like protein (Ubl) SUMO. This process, known as sumoylation, regulates the function, localisation and activity of target proteins as part of normal cellular metabolism, e.g., during development, and through the cell cycle, as well as in response to a range of stresses. In order to be effective, the sumoylation pathway itself must also be regulated. This review describes how the SUMOylation process is regulated. In particular, regulation of the SUMO conjugation and deconjugation machinery at the level of transcription and by post-translational modifications is discussed.
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