Projects per year
Abstract
Spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an X-linked disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, muscle atrophy, and progressive weakness. It is caused by a polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the androgen receptor (AR), a transcription factor that is activated upon hormone binding. The polyQ expansion in AR causes it to form intracellular aggregates and impairs transcriptional activity. Intriguingly, SUMOylation (where SUMO indicates small ubiquitin-like modifier) of AR inhibits its transcriptional activity and reduces aggregation of the polyQ form of this protein, but it is unclear whether SUMOylation plays a pathogenic or protective role in SBMA. In this issue of the JCI, Chua et al. address this question by generating knockin mice in which the native AR is replaced by either a polyQ AR or a polyQ AR lacking the two lysine residues that are SUMOylated. The results from this study demonstrate that inhibiting SUMOylation of polyQ AR restores much of its transcriptional activity and prevents many (but not all) SBMA-associated symptoms in this mouse model.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 498-500 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical Investigation |
Volume | 125 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2015 |
Keywords
- Animals
- Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch
- Muscular Disorders, Atrophic
- Peptides
- Receptors, Androgen
- Sumoylation
- Transcription, Genetic
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Fighting polyglutamine disease by wrestling with SUMO'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 3 Finished
-
Targets and mechanisms of SUMOylation-mediated cardioprotection during ischemia and reperfusion injury
1/04/15 → 3/10/19
Project: Research
-
Roles of protein SUMOylation in AMPA receptor trafficking, synaptic dysfunction and cognitive impairment in dementia
1/03/14 → 30/06/18
Project: Research
-
Mechanisms and consequences of presynaptic protein SUMOylation in the regulation of neurotransmitter release
31/12/13 → 29/04/17
Project: Research