Recent studies have revealed various functions for the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) in diverse biological phenomena, such as regulation of cell division, DNA repair and transcription, in yeast and animals. In contrast, only a limited number of proteins have been characterized in plants, although plant SUMO proteins are involved in many physiological processes, such as stress responses, regulation of flowering time and defense reactions to pathogen attack. Here, we reconstituted the Arabidopsis thaliana SUMOylation cascade in Escherichia coli. This system is rapid and effective for the evaluation of the SUMOylation of potential SUMO target proteins. We tested the ability of this system to conjugate the Arabidopsis SUMO isoforms, AtSUMO1, 2, 3 and 5, to a model substrate, AtMYB30, which is an Arabidopsis transcription factor. All four SUMO isoforms tested were able to SUMOylate AtMYB30. Furthermore, SUMOylation sites of AtMYB30 were characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) followed by mutational analysis in combination with this system. Using this reconstituted SUMOylation system, comparisons of SUMOylation patterns among SUMO isoforms can be made, and will provide insights into the SUMO isoform specificity of target modification. The identification of SUMOylation sites enables us to investigate the direct effects of SUMOylation using SUMOylation-defective mutants. This system will be a powerful tool for elucidation of the role of SUMOylation and of the biochemical and structural features of SUMOylated proteins in plants.

Small Ubiquitin-related MOdifier (SUMO) proteins can be found in many organisms, including A. thaliana, which possesses 9 SUMO genes. SUMO binds to various target proteins in a reversible reaction called SUMOylation. SUMOylation participates in transcription, chromosome organization, proteins localizations and stress responses. Our study showed that RIN13 (RPM1-Interacting13/At2g20310) is a target of SUMOylation, which was initially found by interaction between this protein and AtSCE1a (E2). Recent report showed that overexpression of RIN13 enhanced the resistance to pathogen without inducing hypersensitive response. However, the molecular interaction between RIN13 and SUMO proteins and its significance have not been studied yet. Thus, our study aimed to characterize the Interaction between RIN13 and SUMO proteins in A. thaliana. The result showed an isoform-specific SUMOylation between RIN13 and SUMO proteins. RIN13 is SUMOylated by SUMO1, 2, 3, and 5. Though expressed ubiquitously in A.thaliana, fluorescence microscopy showed that RIN13 localizes subcellularly in the nuclear body. Moreover, complete abolishment of SUMOylation with inactive E2 suggests the exclusion of RIN13 from nuclear body. These results showed that SUMOylation affected RIN13 localization, and indirectly influenced its interaction to other proteins and putative function. This paper presents evidence of RIN13 SUMOylation. Furthermore, RIN13 function in pathogenic resistance is shown to be supported by SUMOylation. Thus, this study enhanced the understanding of SUMO in plants and served as reference to molecular studies concerning post-translational modification of SUMO. How to Cite