sabotages host cell SUMOylation for intracellular survival.

parasites use elaborate virulence mechanisms to invade and thrive in macrophages. These virulence mechanisms inhibit host cell defense responses and generate a specialized replicative niche, the parasitophorous vacuole. In this work, we performed a genome-wide RNAi screen in macrophage-like cells to identify the host factors necessary for infection. This screen identified 52 conserved genes required specifically for parasite entry, including several components of the SUMOylation machinery. Further studies in mammalian macrophages found that infection inhibited SUMOylation within infected macrophages and this inhibition enhanced parasitophorous vacuole growth and parasite proliferation through modulation of multiple genes especially , which in turn affects expression and cholesterol levels. Together, these data suggest that parasites actively sabotage host SUMOylation and alter host transcription to improve their intracellular niche and enhance their replication.