Research progress on targeted SUMOylation inhibitors and their antitumor activity

SUMOylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins. Similar to ubiquitylation, SUMOylation is the process that the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins are specifically and covalently binding to lysine residues of substrate proteins. Through SUMOylation, the physiological functions and pathological processes of cells are well controlled and balanced, and its abnormal activation has been reported in various tumors. Therefore, SUMOylation has been a potential target for anti-tumor drug development. In this review, we summarize recent advances on development of inhibitors targeting SUMOylation pathway and their antitumor properties.