School of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
Neuromolecular Med. 2013 Dec;15(4):692-706. doi: 10.1007/s12017-013-8253-y. Epub 2013 Aug 11.
Timely and efficient information transfer at synapses is fundamental to brain function. Synapses are highly dynamic structures that exhibit long-lasting activity-dependent alterations to their structure and transmission efficiency, a phenomenon termed synaptic plasticity. These changes, which occur through alterations in presynaptic release or in the trafficking of postsynaptic receptor proteins, underpin the formation and stabilisation of neural circuits during brain development, and encode, process and store information essential for learning, memory and cognition. In recent years, it has emerged that the ubiquitin-like posttranslational modification SUMOylation is an important mediator of several aspects of neuronal and synaptic function. Through orchestrating synapse formation, presynaptic release and the trafficking of postsynaptic receptor proteins during forms of synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation, long-term depression and homeostatic scaling, SUMOylation is being increasingly appreciated to play a central role in neurotransmission. In this review, we outline key discoveries in this relatively new field, provide an update on recent progress regarding the targets and consequences of protein SUMOylation in synaptic function and plasticity, and highlight key outstanding questions regarding the roles of protein SUMOylation in the brain.
在突触处进行及时有效的信息传递对大脑功能至关重要。突触是高度动态的结构，其结构和传输效率会发生持久的、依赖于活动的改变，这种现象被称为突触可塑性。这些变化是通过改变突触前释放或突触后受体蛋白的运输来实现的，为大脑发育过程中神经回路的形成和稳定提供了基础，并编码、处理和存储学习、记忆和认知所必需的信息。近年来，泛素样翻译后修饰 SUMOylation 已成为神经元和突触功能的几个方面的重要调节剂。通过协调突触形成、突触前释放以及突触后受体蛋白的运输，SUMOylation 在长时程增强、长时程抑制和自稳态缩放等形式的突触可塑性中发挥着核心作用。在这篇综述中，我们概述了这一相对较新领域的关键发现，更新了关于蛋白质 SUMOylation 在突触功能和可塑性中的作用靶点和后果的最新进展，并强调了关于蛋白质 SUMOylation 在大脑中作用的关键问题。
