Search

Protein microarray technology provides a versatile platform for characterization of hundreds to thousands of proteins in a parallel and high-throughput manner. Over the last decade, applications of functional protein microarrays in particular have flourished in studying protein function at a systems level and have led to the construction of networks and pathways describing these functions. Relevant areas of research include the detection of various binding properties of proteins, the study of enzyme-substrate relationships, the analysis of host-microbe interactions, and profiling antibody specificity. In addition, discovery of novel biomarkers in autoimmune diseases and cancers is emerging as a major clinical application of functional protein microarrays. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances of functional protein microarrays in both basic and clinical applications.

Proteomics studies have revealed that SUMOylation is a widely used post-translational modification (PTM) in eukaryotes. However, how SUMO E1/2/3 complexes use different SUMO isoforms and recognize substrates remains largely unknown. Using a human proteome microarray-based activity screen, we identified over 2500 proteins that undergo SUMO E3-dependent SUMOylation. We next constructed a SUMO isoform- and E3 ligase-dependent enzyme-substrate relationship network. Protein kinases were significantly enriched among SUMOylation substrates, suggesting crosstalk between phosphorylation and SUMOylation. Cell-based analyses of tyrosine kinase, PYK2, revealed that SUMOylation at four lysine residues promoted PYK2 autophosphorylation at tyrosine 402, which in turn enhanced its interaction with SRC and full activation of the SRC-PYK2 complex. SUMOylation on WT but not the 4KR mutant of PYK2 further elevated phosphorylation of the downstream components in the focal adhesion pathway, such as paxillin and Erk1/2, leading to significantly enhanced cell migration during wound healing. These studies illustrate how our SUMO E3 ligase-substrate network can be used to explore crosstalk between SUMOylation and other PTMs in many biological processes.