SUMOylation in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the pathophysiologic basis of many cardiovascular diseases. A number of studies have shown that post-translational modification (PTM) contributes to the initiation and progression of AS. For example, recent studies found that SUMOylation, ie, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) conjugation to target substrate proteins, was involved in AS. This PTM appears related to endothelial cell dysfunction (ECD), dyslipidemia and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. This review focuses on the molecular effects of SUMOylation in the initiation and progression of AS, including ECD, dyslipidemia and VSMC proliferation to better understand this pathologic process.