title: SUMO2 is essential while SUMO3 is dispensable for mouse embryonic development.
abstract: Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO1-3) conjugation plays a critical role in embryogenesis. Embryos deficient in the SUMO-conjugating enzyme Ubc9 die at the early postimplantation stage. Sumo1(-/-) mice are viable, as SUMO2/3 can compensate for most SUMO1 functions. To uncover the role of SUMO2/3 in embryogenesis, we generated Sumo2- and Sumo3-null mutant mice. Here, we report that Sumo3(-/-) mice were viable, while Sumo2(-/-) embryos exhibited severe developmental delay and died at approximately embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5). We also provide evidence that SUMO2 is the predominantly expressed SUMO isoform. Furthermore, although Sumo2(+/-) and Sumo2(+/-);Sumo3(+/-) mice lacked any overt phenotype, only 2 Sumo2(+/-);Sumo3(-/-) mice were found at birth in 35 litters after crossing Sumo2(+/-);Sumo3(+/-) with Sumo3(-/-) mice, and these rare mice were considerably smaller than littermates of the other genotypes. Thus, our findings suggest that expression levels and not functional differences between SUMO2 and SUMO3 are critical for normal embryogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Liangli
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Carolien
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wansleeben
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Shengli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA wulf.paschen@duke.edu wei.yang@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Wulf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paschen
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA wulf.paschen@duke.edu wei.yang@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D020043:Genes, Essential; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C515972:SUMO2 protein, mouse; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins; C117908:Sumo3 protein, mouse; D014452:Ubiquitins
keywords: Embryonic development; Knockout; SUMO conjugation; SUMO2; SUMO3