Genome maintenance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: The role of SUMO and SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases

Deena Jalal, Jisha Chalissery, Ahmed H. Hassan

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The genome of the cell is often exposed to DNA damaging agents and therefore requires an intricate wellregulated DNA damage response (DDR) to overcome its deleterious effects. The DDR needs proper regulation for its timely activation, repression, as well as appropriate choice of repair pathway. Studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have advanced our understanding of the DNA damage response, as well as the mechanisms the cell employs to maintain genome stability and how these mechanisms are regulated. Eukaryotic cells utilize post-translational modifications as a means for fine-tuning protein functions. Ubiquitylation and SUMOylation involve the attachment of small protein molecules onto proteins to modulate function or protein-protein interactions. SUMO in particular, was shown to act as a molecular glue when DNA damage occurs, facilitating the assembly of large protein complexes in repair foci. In other instances, SUMOylation alters a protein's biochemical activities, and interactions. SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases (STUbLs) are enzymes that target SUMOylated proteins for ubiquitylation and subsequent degradation, providing a function for theSUMO modification in the regulation and disassembly of repair complexes. Here, we discuss the major contributions of SUMO and STUbLs in the regulation of DNA damage repair pathways as well as in the maintenance of critical regions of the genome, namely rDNA regions, telomeres and the 2 μm circle in budding yeast.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2242-2261
Number of pages20
JournalNucleic acids research
Volume45
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 17 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics

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