The role of the sumo protease ULP-2 in germline development

Germ cells are the specialized cells in sexually reproducing organisms that divide through meiosis and can form gametes and the ability to produce the following generation. In order for germ cells to generate gametes, their identity must be specified early in development and protected during development. The central mechanisms that protect germ cells identity are transcriptional repression, chromatin regulation and translation regulation by cytoplasmic factors and germ granules. SUMO is a small ubiquitin-like modifier that undergoes both covalent and non-covalent transient attachment to target proteins. The SUMO system is essential for cell function, acting mainly through reversible regulation of protein-protein interactions. The role of SUMO in germ cell specification and development remains poorly understood. I will describe our recent findings on the role of the SUMO protease ULP-2 in germline development in the C. elegans model system.