Sturge-Weber syndrome and encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) are neurocutaneous syndromes with unique presentations. A 15-month-old male presented with focal seizures that progressed to medic Show more
Sturge-Weber syndrome and encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) are neurocutaneous syndromes with unique presentations. A 15-month-old male presented with focal seizures that progressed to medically refractory focal epilepsy. He had no ocular or cutaneous findings. Imaging demonstrated complex, transdural leptomeningeal enhancement suspicious for pial angiomatosis. Electroencephalogram showed focal seizures from the right posterior region. Sturge-Weber syndrome without cutaneous manifestations was suspected. Following right posterior disconnection surgery, next generation sequencing of affected brain tissue confirmed a mosaic ECCL may have variable expression and should be considered in children with refractory epilepsy and an anatomical brain abnormality. Leptomeningeal enhancement is commonly found in Sturge-Weber syndrome but may be seen in other neurocutaneous syndromes, such as ECCL. Hemispheric dysplasia should raise suspicion for a neurocutaneous syndrome, even without oculocutaneous stigmata. Genotype-guided diagnostics for patients with atypical findings may facilitate targeted postsurgical management and lifetime surveillance. Show less
SUMO-modification of nuclear proteins has profound effects on gene expression. However, non-toxic chemical tools that modulate sumoylation in cells are lacking. Here, to identify small molecule sumoyl Show more
SUMO-modification of nuclear proteins has profound effects on gene expression. However, non-toxic chemical tools that modulate sumoylation in cells are lacking. Here, to identify small molecule sumoylation inhibitors we developed a cell-based screen that focused on the well-sumoylated substrate, human Liver Receptor Homolog-1 (hLRH-1, NR5A2). Our primary gene-expression screen assayed two SUMO-sensitive transcripts, APOC3 and MUC1, that are upregulated by SUMO-less hLRH-1 or by siUBC9 knockdown, respectively. A polyphenol, tannic acid (TA) emerged as a potent sumoylation inhibitor in vitro (IC50 = 12.8 µM) and in cells. TA also increased hLRH-1 occupancy on SUMO-sensitive transcripts. Most significantly, when tested in humanized mouse primary hepatocytes, TA inhibits hLRH-1 sumoylation and induces SUMO-sensitive genes, thereby recapitulating the effects of expressing SUMO-less hLRH-1 in mouse liver. Our findings underscore the benefits of phenotypic screening for targeting post-translational modifications, and illustrate the potential utility of TA for probing the cellular consequences of sumoylation. Show less