The role of SUMOylation in mitochondrial fission and intracellular signaling

The Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier protein SUMO is covalently conjugated to target proteins leading to altered protein function, localization, and sometimes turnover. We have been studying the role of mitochondrial SUMOylation, how it functions during mitochondrial fission, during cell death and cell division using a variety of approaches. Focusing on the global function of a mitochondrial anchored ligase along with a variety of SUMO proteases we are dissecting critical new roles for SUMOylation as a core aspect of mitochondrial signaling.