Investigation of the roles and regulation of SUMO in cell function and disease processes

Modification of proteins by the conserved ubiquitin-like protein, SUMO, regulates many fundamental processes in eukaryotes such as the cell division cycle and responses to environmental stress. Importantly, deregulation of SUMO modification is linked with premature ageing, common age-related diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disease, and to specific human viral and bacterial infections. However, despite these links with human health and ageing, and the identification of many SUMOylated substrates, there is much to learn about how SUMOylation influences human health. Thus, the aim of the project is to apply a wide range of techniques including state of the art robotics and molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry and genetics techniques to investigate the conserved functions and regulation of SUMO modification and how this influences processes important for human health and lifespan. Important insight into fundamental eukaryotic processes has come from the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and our extensive pilot data has already identified novel links between fundamental cell processes and SUMOylation. Specific objectives will involve characterising these novel links in a range of organisms to understand conserved and organism-specific roles of SUMOylation. These studies aim to inform understanding of the relationships between this important conserved protein modification and human health and healthy ageing.