Response and transcriptional regulation of rice SUMOylation system during development and stress conditions

Modification of proteins by the reversible covalent addition of the small ubiquitin like modifier (SUMO) protein has important consequences affecting target protein stability, sub-cellular localization, and protein-protein interactions. SUMOylation involves a cascade of enzymatic reactions, which resembles the process of ubiquitination. In this study, we characterized the SUMOylation system from an important crop plant, rice, and show that it responds to cold, salt and ABA stress conditions on a protein level via the accumulation of SUMOylated proteins. We also characterized the transcriptional regulation of individual SUMOylation cascade components during stress and development. During stress conditions, majority of the SUMO cascade components are transcriptionally down regulated. SUMO conjugate proteins and SUMO cascade component transcripts accumulated differentially in various tissues during plant development with highest levels in reproductive tissues. Taken together, these data suggest a role for SUMOylation in rice development and stress responses.