Genes, Vol. 11, Pages 1198: The Leishmania donovani SENP Protease Is Required for SUMO Processing but Not for Viability

Genes, Vol. 11, Pages 1198: The Leishmania donovani SENP Protease Is Required for SUMO Processing but Not for Viability Genes doi: 10.3390/genes11101198 Authors: Bea Kröber-Boncardo Sandhu Brinker Clos The protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani is part of an early eukaryotic branch and depends on post-transcriptional mechanisms for gene expression regulation. This includes post-transcriptional protein modifications, such as protein phosphorylation. The presence of genes for protein SUMOylation, i.e., the covalent attachment of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) polypeptides, in the Leishmania genomes prompted us to investigate the importance of the sentrin-specific protease (SENP) and its putative client, SUMO, for the vitality and infectivity of Leishmania donovani. While SENP null mutants are viable with reduced vitality, viable SUMO null mutant lines could not be obtained. SUMO C-terminal processing is disrupted in SENP null mutants, preventing SUMO from covalent attachment to proteins and nuclear translocation. Infectivity in vitro is not affected by the loss of SENP-dependent SUMO processing. We conclude that SENP is required for SUMO processing, but that functions of unprocessed SUMO are critical for Leishmania viability.
Source: Genes - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research