Detection of Sumoylated Proteins

Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) is an ubiquitin-like protein that is covalently attached to a variety of target proteins. Unlike ubiquitination, sumoylation does not target proteins for proteolytic breakdown, but is involved in regulation of protein function, nuclear targeting, and the formation of subcellular structures. Because SUMO is involved in such a plethora of functions and modifies numerous proteins it is important to identify proteins that are sumoylated in order to increase our understanding of how this modification affects protein function and localization. This overview describes techniques utilized for the detection of sumoylated proteins. The techniques covered include immunoprecipitation, an in vitro sumoylation assay, and gel shift mobility assays that have been used to identify SUMO-modified proteins.