Keywords: Period2/SUMO/phosphorylation/ubiquitination/circadian/post-translational modification 26,461 characters without space, excluding references and materials and methods.
AbstractCircadian rhythm control by clock proteins, including Period 2 (PER2), is strongly impacted by posttranslational modifications (PTMs) controlling clock protein stability, localization and activity. PER2 function is regulated by casein kinase 1 (CK1)-mediated phosphorylation and ubiquitination but little is known about other PER2 PTMs. We found that PER2 can be SUMOylated by both SUMO1 and SUMO2; however, SUMO1 versus SUMO2 conjugation had dramatically different effects on PER2 turnover and subcellular localization. PER2-SUMO2 conjugation facilitated PER2 ubiquitination and degradation. In contrast, SUMO1 conjugation mediated by the E3 SUMO-protein ligase RanBP2 led to enhanced CK1-mediated PER2 S662 phosphorylation and also increased PER2 nuclear accumulation, chromatin association and suppression function. PER2 K736 was an important determinant of both SUMO1-and SUMO2-conjugation. A PER2 K736R mutation was sufficient to alter circadian periodicity, reduce PER2 interaction with β-TrCP or CRY1, decrease PER2 nuclear entry and abolish PER2-mediated transcriptional suppression of REV-ERBα, REV-ERBβ and RORγ.Together, our data revealed differential effects of SUMO isoforms on PER2 function and demonstrated the effect of SUMOylation on PER2 coordination of the circadian regulatory system.