SUMOylation of human septins is critical for septin filament bundling and cytokinesis.
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Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Septins are cytoskeletal proteins that assemble into nonpolar filaments. They are critical in diverse cellular functions, acting as scaffolds for protein recruitment and as diffusion barriers for subcellular compartmentalization. Human septins are encoded by 13 different genes and are classified into four groups based on sequence homology (SEPT2, SEPT3, SEPT6, and SEPT7 groups). In yeast, septins were among the first proteins reported to be modified by SUMOylation, a ubiquitin-like posttranslational modification. However, whether human septins could be modified by small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) and what roles this modification may have in septin function remains unknown. In this study, we first show that septins from all four human septin groups can be covalently modified by SUMOs. We show in particular that endogenous SEPT7 is constitutively SUMOylated during the cell cycle. We then map SUMOylation sites to the C-terminal domain of septins belonging to the SEPT6 and SEPT7 groups and to the N-terminal domain of septins from the SEPT3 group. We finally demonstrate that expression of non-SUMOylatable septin variants from the SEPT6 and SEPT7 groups leads to aberrant septin bundle formation and defects in cytokinesis after furrow ingression. Altogether, our results demonstrate a pivotal role for SUMOylation in septin filament bundling and cell division.
Date Issued
2017-10-19
Date Acceptance
2017-08-23
Citation
Journal of Cell Biology, 2017, 216 (12), pp.4041-4052
ISSN
0021-9525
Publisher
Rockefeller University Press
Start Page
4041
End Page
4052
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Cell Biology
Volume
216
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Ribet et al.
Sponsor
Wellcome Trust
Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine
Identifier
PII: jcb.201703096
Grant Number
097411/Z/11/ZR
n/a
Subjects
06 Biological Sciences
11 Medical And Health Sciences
Developmental Biology
Publication Status
Published