SUMO pathway is required for ribosome biogenesis

Ribosomes, acting as the cellular factories for protein produc-tion, are essential for all living organisms. Ribosomes are com-posed of both proteins and RNAs and are established through the coordination of several steps, including transcription, matu-ration of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and assembly of ribosomal proteins. In particular, diverse factors required for ribosome biogenesis, such as transcription factors, small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA)-associated proteins, and assembly factors, are tightly regulated by various post-translational modifications. Among these modifications, small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) targets lots of proteins required for gene expression of riboso-mal proteins, rRNA, and snoRNAs, rRNA processing, and ribo-some assembly. The tight control of SUMOylation affects func-tions and locations of substrates. This review summarizes cur-rent studies and recent progress of SUMOylation-mediated re-gulation of ribosome biogenesis. [BMB Reports 2022; 55(11): 535-540]

Automated summary

Ribosomes are essential for protein production in all living organisms. The process of ribosome biogenesis involves multiple steps, including transcription, maturation of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and assembly of ribosomal proteins. This review summarizes the current studies and recent progress on how SUMOylation regulates ribosome biogenesis.