A new bromopyrrole alkaloid (1) along with (+/-)-2 and (+/-)-longamide (3) has been isolated from the Japanese marine sponge Homaxinella sp. The structures of the compounds were proposed on the basis of spectroscopic data. The optical resolution of (+/-)-2 by chiral HPLC was successful and afforded the two enantiomers, (+)-2 and (-)-2.

Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) is a highly conserved protein that is covalently attached to target proteins. This posttranslational modification, designated SUMOylation, is a major protein-conjugation-driven strategy designed to regulate structure and function of cellular proteins. SUMOylation consists of an enzymatic cascade involving the E1-activating enzyme and the E2-conjugating enzyme. The SUMO-E1 enzyme consists of two subunits, a heterodimer of activation of Smt3p 1 (Aos1) and ubiquitin activating enzyme 2 (Uba2), which resembles the N- and C-terminal halves of ubiquitin E1 (Uba1). Herein, we describe the rational design of a single polypeptide version of SUMO-E1, a chimera of mouse Aos1 and Uba2 subunits, termed mAU, in which the functional domains appear to be arranged in a fashion similar to Uba1. We also describe the construction of a mAU plasmid for expression in a baculovirus-insect cell system and present an in situ SUMOylation assay using the recombinant mAU. Our results showed that mAU has SUMO-E1 activity, thereby indicating that mAU can be expressed in baculovirus-insect cells and represents a suitable source of SUMO-E1.

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This chapter deals with the fluorescence detection of SUMOylation and deSUMOylation in semi-intact cultured human cells, the so-called "in situ SUMOylation assay" and the "in situ deSUMOylation assay," respectively. In the in situ SUMOylation assay, the recombinant green-fluorescence protein fused to the SUMO1 (GFP-SUMO1) protein is used to visualize the nuclear rim, nucleolus, and nuclear bodies. These GFP signals represent cellular regions where SUMOylation efficiently takes place. If the recombinant SUMO-specific protease SENP1-catalytic domain is added after in situ SUMOylation, GFP signals can be erased. Therefore, the in situ SUMOylation assay can be used to assess deSUMOylation enzymatic activity.