SUMO2/3 Conjugation is an Endogenous Neuroprotective Mechanism

• DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2011.112
• Publication Date: 2011-08-24T08:06:53Z
• Authors: Anna Lena Datwyler; Gisela Lättig-Tün...; Wei Yang; Wulf Paschen; Sabrina Lin Lin Lee; Ulrich Dirnagl; Matthias Endres; Christoph Harms
• Keywords: Neurons; 0301 basic medicine; Cell Survival; Genetic Vectors; Lentivirus; Cell Culture Techniques; Sumoylation; Brief Communication; Immunohistochemistry; Cell Hypoxia; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oxygen; Mice; MicroRNAs; 03 medical and health sciences; Adenosine Triphosphate; Glucose; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins; Animals; Ubiquitins; Cells, Cultured

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)2/3 but not SUMO1 conjugation is activated after transient cerebral ischemia. To investigate its function, we blocked neuronal SUMO2/3 translation through lentiviral microRNA delivery in primary cortical neurons. Viability was unaffected by silencing unless neurons were stressed oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). Both 15 and 45 minutes of OGD tolerated control microRNA-expressing damaged >60% expressing microRNA. Damaging (75 minutes) increased loss to 54% (control microRNA) 99% (SUMO2/3 microRNA). This suggests that activation an endogenous neuroprotective stress response.