# Role of sumoylation during stress signaling responses

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $297,013

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The overall objective of this MIRA proposal is to understand the mechanisms through which eukaryotic stress
response pathways are regulated by post-translational modification of proteins with the small ubiquitin-like
modifier SUMO. Cells must respond and adapt to physical and/or chemical stresses that can irreversibly and
lethally damage essential macromolecules. Stress-response pathways generally adjust transcription,
translation, protein activity or interactions, and metabolism according to the particular stress and its severity. In
eukaryotic cells, stress exposure leads to sumoylation of specific proteins; however, the role(s) of sumoylation
during most stress responses still remain uncertain. This gap in our knowledge presents a key barrier to our
understanding of dynamic cellular stress regulation and adaptation, and its functional importance in human
health where stress signaling becomes strained or co-opted in various diseases (e.g. heart disease, cancer,
neurodegeneration, type II diabetes). To investigate mechanisms by which protein sumoylation mitigates
stress-related cellular damage, our research group has been using budding yeast as a model organism to
identify specific roles for sumoylation during distinct stresses. Initially, we focused on hyperosmotic stress and
discovered that the yeast prion protein Cyc8 and its binding partner Tup1 are rapidly and transiently
sumoylated during hyperosmotic stress. In addition, we found that the Cyc8-Tup1 complex forms phase-
separated nuclear foci during the initial stages of hyperosmotic stress, and Cyc8 sumoylation is important for
the timely resolution of these foci during cellular adaptation to the stress. We hypothesize that the Cyc8-Tup1
complex's transient coalescence into liquid-liquid phase separations (LLPS) during hyperosmotic stress alters
the complex's interactions with chromatin, allowing for the optimal expression of hyperosmotic stress-response
genes. In parallel to the studies on hyperosmotic stress, we have continued exploring the role of sumoylation in
other stresses. Thus, the MIRA mechanism is ideal for our continuing studies due to its flexibility to pursue
timely and salient avenues of inquiry at the key intersection of two rapidly-evolving fields: stress-dependent
sumoylation and the kinetics of LLPS formation. Here, we propose to use a combination of genetics, cell
biology, and in vitro biochemistry to uncover both overarching principles for the functions of sumoylation across
multiple stresses and specific roles for sumoylation during distinct stresses. Our goals over the next five years
are to explore the following questions: 1) What are the functional purposes for multivalent sumoylation within a
complex during specific stress responses? 2) Are there general principles for the function(s) of sumoylation
across divergent stresses? 3) Through what mechanism(s) does sumoylation modulate stress-induced LLPS
dynamics?

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9929843
- **Project number:** 1R35GM136234-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Richard George Gardner
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $297,013
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9929843

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9929843, Role of sumoylation during stress signaling responses (1R35GM136234-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9929843. Licensed CC0.

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