Yuan Hongchao, Lu Yuanjun, Chan Yau-Tuen, Zhang Cheng, Wang Ning, Feng Yibin
School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 10 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Nov 14;13(22):5700. doi: 10.3390/cancers13225700.
Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is a highly conserved post-translational modification protein, mainly found in eukaryotes. They are widely expressed in different tissues, including the liver. As an essential post-translational modification, SUMOylation is involved in many necessary regulations in cells. It plays a vital role in DNA repair, transcription regulation, protein stability and cell cycle progression. Increasing shreds of evidence show that SUMOylation is closely related to Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The high expression of SUMOs in the inflammatory hepatic tissue may lead to the carcinogenesis of HCC. At the same time, SUMOs will upregulate the proliferation and survival of HCC, migration, invasion and metastasis of HCC, tumour microenvironment as well as drug resistance. This study reviewed the role of SUMOylation in liver cancer. In addition, it also discussed natural compounds that modulate SUMO and target SUMO drugs in clinical trials. Considering the critical role of SUMO protein in the occurrence of HCC, the drug regulation of SUMOylation may become a potential target for treatment, prognostic monitoring and adjuvant chemotherapy of HCC.
小泛素样修饰物（SUMO）是一种高度保守的翻译后修饰蛋白，主要存在于真核生物中。它们在包括肝脏在内的不同组织中广泛表达。作为一种重要的翻译后修饰，SUMO化参与细胞内许多必要的调节过程。它在DNA修复、转录调控、蛋白质稳定性和细胞周期进程中起着至关重要的作用。越来越多的证据表明，SUMO化与肝细胞癌（HCC）密切相关。SUMO在炎性肝组织中的高表达可能导致HCC的发生。同时，SUMO会上调HCC的增殖和存活、HCC的迁移、侵袭和转移、肿瘤微环境以及耐药性。本研究综述了SUMO化在肝癌中的作用。此外，还讨论了在临床试验中调节SUMO的天然化合物和靶向SUMO的药物。鉴于SUMO蛋白在HCC发生中的关键作用，SUMO化的药物调控可能成为HCC治疗、预后监测和辅助化疗的潜在靶点。
