title: mRNA expression analysis of the SUMO pathway genes in the adult mouse retina.
abstract: Sumoylation is a reversible post-translational modification that regulates different cellular processes by conjugation/deconjugation of SUMO moieties to target proteins. Most work on the functional relevance of SUMO has focused on cell cycle, DNA repair and cancer in cultured cells, but data on the inter-dependence of separate components of the SUMO pathway in highly specialized tissues, such as the retina, is still scanty. Nonetheless, several retinal transcription factors (TFs) relevant for cone and rod fate, as well as some circadian rhythm regulators, are regulated by sumoylation. Here we present a comprehensive survey of SUMO pathway gene expression in the murine retina by quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH). The mRNA expression levels were quantified in retinas obtained under four different light/dark conditions, revealing distinct levels of gene expression. In addition, a SUMO pathway retinal gene atlas based on the mRNA expression pattern was drawn. Although most genes are ubiquitously expressed, some patterns could be defined in a first step to determine its biological significance and interdependence. The wide expression of the SUMO pathway genes, the transcriptional response under several light/dark conditions, and the diversity of expression patterns in different cell layers clearly support sumoylation as a relevant post-translational modification in the retina. This expression atlas intends to be a reference framework for retinal researchers and to depict a more comprehensive view of the SUMO-regulated processes in the retina.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Abad-Morales
authors.affiliation: Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Domènech
authors.affiliation: Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Present address: Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; and Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garanto
authors.affiliation: Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain gmarfany@ub.edu.
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marfany
keywords: In situ hybridization; SUMO; light cycle; mRNA expression levels; retina; sumoylation