The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is a ubiquitin-like protein that covalently modifies a
large number of cellular proteins. SUMO modification has emerged as an important
regulatory mechanism for protein function and localization. SUMOylation is a dynamic
process that is mediated by activating (E1), conjugating (E2), and ligating (E3) enzymes and
readily reversed by a family of ubiquitin-like protein-specific proteases (Ulp) in yeast and
sentrin/SUMO-specific proteases (SENP) in human. This review will focus on the de …