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Updated: May 28, 2026
09:45
In Vitro SUMOylation Assay to Study SUMO E3 Ligase Activity
Published on: January 29, 2018
Regulation of lineage reprogramming by dynamic chromatin SUMOylation
Emma Valima1, A B M Kaiser Manjur1, Eevi Savinainen1
1Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Chromatin SUMOylation dynamically regulates cell identity changes during reprogramming. Inhibiting SUMOylation enhances B-cell to macrophage conversion, impacting gene expression and chromatin accessibility.
Area of Science:
- Cellular reprogramming
- Chromatin biology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- SUMOylation is a key regulator of chromatin and transcription.
- Its role in lineage reprogramming and cellular plasticity is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how chromatin SUMOylation influences cellular plasticity during CEBPA-driven lineage reprogramming.
- To map the chromatin landscape and transcriptomic changes during early reprogramming.
Main Methods:
- ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, and chromatin-directed proteomics were integrated.
- Analysis of CEBPA-driven reprogramming of human leukemic B-cells into macrophage-like cells.
Main Results:
- Lineage conversion increased SUMO2/3 chromatin occupancy at CEBPA-bound sites.
- Proteomic profiling revealed convergence of differentiation factors, remodelers, and coregulators, including NCOA3.
- SUMOylation inhibition (SUMOi) enhanced CEBPA occupancy, altered protein associations, and promoted macrophage-associated gene expression.
Conclusions:
- Chromatin SUMOylation dynamically modifies lineage transitions.
- SUMOylation plays a context-dependent role in fine-tuning cell identity.
- Targeting SUMOylation offers potential for therapeutic modulation of cell identity.
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