Actin, a major component of the cytoplasm, is also abundant in the nucleus. Nuclear actin is involved in a variety of nuclear processes including transcription, chromatin remodeling, and intranuclear transport. Nevertheless, the regulation of nuclear actin by posttranslational modifications has not been investigated. We now show that nuclear actin is modified by SUMO2 and SUMO3 and that computa...

Ubiquitylation is an essential posttranslational modification that can regulate the stability, activity, and localization of thousands of proteins. The reversible attachment of ubiquitin as well as interpretation of the ubiquitin signal depends on dynamic protein networks that are challenging to analyze. In this perspective, we discuss tools of the trade that have recently been developed to dis...

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) have been recognized to impact protein function in two ways: (i) orthosterically, via direct recognition by protein domains or through interference with binding; and (ii) allosterically, via conformational changes induced at the functional sites. Because different chemical types of PTMs elicit different structural alterations, the effects of combinatorial...

Microtubules are the largest filamentous components of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. In spite of their extraordinary level of structural conservation, microtubules fulfill a vast range of different functions in cells. How this functional diversity is achieved remains an open question; however, recent advances point towards post-translational modifications (PTMs) of tubulin as a potent mechanism ...

A new global post-translational modification (PTM) discovery strategy, G-PTM-D, is described. A proteomics database containing UniProt-curated PTM information is supplemented with potential new modification types and sites discovered from a first-round search of mass spectrometry data with ultrawide precursor mass tolerance. A second-round search employing the supplemented database conducted wi...

The Forkhead box O (FOXO) family transcription factors play critical roles in a series of cellular processes, including the cell cycle, cell death, metabolism, and oxidative stress resistance. FOXO proteins are subject to several post-translational modifications, which are closely related to their activity. In this paper, we review the post-translational modifications of FOXOs and their biologi...

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are chemical alterations to a protein following translation, regulating stability and function. Reversible phosphorylation is an example of an important and well studied PTM involved in a number of cellular processes. SUMOylation is another PTM known to modify a large number of proteins and plays a role in various cellular processes including: cell cycle ...

Nur77 is a nuclear orphan receptor that has been implicated in both cell survival and apoptosis. With the exception of T-cells, translocation of Nur77 to the cytoplasm promotes cell death, while its retention in the nucleus promotes survival and proliferation. Nur77 appears to be a true orphan receptor, indicating that its activity must be controlled by ligand-independent mechanisms. Here, we d...

The maintenance of pluripotency relies on an intricate transcriptional network hinged on a key set of transcription factors. Pluripotent stem cells have been shown to be sensitive to modulations of the cellular abundance and transcriptional activity of these key pluripotency factors. Recent evidence highlights the important role of post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination, sum...