Modification of nuclear PML protein by SUMO-1 regulates Fas-induced apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts.

The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-1 is an important posttranslational regulator of different signaling pathways and involved in the formation of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein nuclear bodies (NBs). Overexpression of SUMO-1 has been associated with alterations in apoptosis, but the underlying mechanisms and their relevance for human diseases are not clear. Here, we show that the increased expression of SUMO-1 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts (SFs) contributes to the resistance of these cells against Fas-induced apoptosis through increased SUMOylation of nuclear PML protein and increased recruitment of the transcriptional repressor DAXX to PML NBs. We also show that the nuclear SUMO-protease SENP1, which is found at lower levels in RA SFs, can revert the apoptosis-inhibiting effects of SUMO-1 by releasing DAXX from PML NBs. Our findings indicate that in RA SFs overexpression of SENP1 can alter the SUMO-1-mediated recruitment of DAXX to PML NBs, thus influencing the proapoptotic effects of DAXX. Accumulation of DAXX in PML NBs by SUMO-1 may, therefore, contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders.