Proper progression of neurogenesis relies on a defined pattern of SUMO-modified proteins

Neurogenesis is a complex process involving the orchestration of many transcription factors and other proteins.Fine regulation of their activities is crucial for proper progression of neurogenesis.A few decades ago,covalent attachment of Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier(SUMO)to other proteins was revealed as a major regulator of protein activities,constituting an essential posttranslational modification system in vertebrates.Since then,hundreds of proteins have been shown to be targets of SUMO,which is implicated in controlling many relevant processes in eukaryotic cells.These include the development and function of the nervous system,with SUMO tightly linked to synapsis and to neurodegenerative diseases(Yau et al.,2020).The SUMO protease SENP7 has been involved in neurogenesis(Juárez-Vicente et al.,2016),while sumoylation of BRAF35,a subunit of the LSD1 histone demethylase complex,assures the undifferentiated state of neural progenitors(Ceballos-Chávez et al.,2012).In addition,increased sumoylation in mouse brain-derived neural stem cells results in enhanced neuronal differentiation(Bernstock et al.,2019).