PML body

GO:0016605 · Other · Other · Proposed

A class of nuclear body; they react against SP100 auto-antibodies (PML, promyelocytic leukemia); cells typically contain 10-30 PML bodies per nucleus; alterations in the localization of PML bodies occurs after viral infection. [GO:0016605]

Synonyms: ND10; PML NB; PML nuclear body; nuclear dot

Part of: nuclear lumen (GO:0031981)

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Stoichiometry	Essential	Role
PML protein	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	PML		ESSENTIAL	Scaffold protein required for PML-body formation and recruitment of other ND10/PML-body proteins. `DOI:10.1083/jcb.147.2.221` Ishov et al. 1999 found that ND10-associated proteins were dispersed in Pml-null cells and were recruited to de novo ND10 after PML reintroduction. `DOI:10.1182/blood.V95.9.2748.009k31a_2748_2752` Zhong et al. 2000 showed that PML is required for proper PML nuclear-body formation in primary Pml-null cells and that SUMO modification of PML is required for this role.
Sp100 nuclear antigen	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	SP100		UNKNOWN	Nuclear autoantigen that accumulates with PML in ND10/PML bodies. `GO:0016605` GO:0016605 defines PML bodies in relation to SP100 auto-antibodies. `DOI:10.1083/jcb.147.2.221` Ishov et al. 1999 described ND10 as discrete nuclear accumulations of proteins including PML and Sp100.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:9606 Homo sapiens — VARIABLE: Human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells were used to show that the t(15;17) PML-RARalpha translocation alters a PML-associated nuclear body in a retinoic-acid-reversible fashion. [DOI:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1994.tb06356.x]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:9606 Homo sapiens — Human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells connected PML-associated nuclear bodies to the t(15;17) PML-RARalpha translocation. [DOI:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1994.tb06356.x]

Functions

partner protein sumoylation — PML nuclear bodies can recruit SUMO-pathway machinery and promote sumoylation of recruited partner proteins during oxidative stress.
- DOI:10.1083/jcb.201305148 Sahin et al. 2014 connected oxidative-stress-induced PML nuclear-body assembly to sumoylation of partner proteins.

Mechanism graphs

PML scaffolds SUMO-dependent PML-body assembly (ASSEMBLY)

PML protein scaffolds ND10/PML bodies, SUMO modification supports the mature body, and Sp100 accumulates in the assembled nuclear body.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
PML protein	scaffolds	PML body	`DOI:10.1083/jcb.147.2.221` Ishov et al. 1999 found that PML reintroduction restored de novo ND10 formation in Pml-null cells.
PML SUMOylation	supports formation of	PML body	`DOI:10.1182/blood.V95.9.2748.009k31a_2748_2752` Zhong et al. 2000 showed that a PML mutant that could not be modified by SUMO-1 failed to relocalize nuclear-body proteins. `DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2006.09.013` Shen et al. 2006 characterized SUMO and SUMO-interacting motif contributions to PML-body formation.
Sp100 nuclear antigen	accumulates in	PML body	`GO:0016605` GO:0016605 defines PML bodies in relation to SP100 auto-antibodies. `DOI:10.1083/jcb.147.2.221` Ishov et al. 1999 described Sp100 as an ND10-associated protein.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact PML-body resident, client and turnover-factor boundaries before expanding components. This first PML body record captures PML and Sp100 as broad label-only defining proteins while leaving exact PML and Sp100 family groundings, Daxx and ATRX recruitment, SUMO-pathway enzymes, RNF4-dependent turnover and stress- or virus-induced client boundaries to a separate curation pass.

Evidence

GO:0016605 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for PML body and its exact ND10/PML-NB synonymy.
GO:0016604 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for nuclear body.
GO:0031981 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for nuclear lumen.
DOI:10.1083/jcb.147.2.221 Ishov et al. 1999, PML is critical for ND10 formation and recruits the PML-interacting protein Daxx to this nuclear structure when modified by SUMO-1, Journal of Cell Biology.
DOI:10.1182/blood.V95.9.2748.009k31a_2748_2752 Zhong et al. 2000, Role of SUMO-1-modified PML in nuclear body formation, Blood.
DOI:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1994.tb06356.x Koken et al. 1994, The t(15;17) translocation alters a nuclear body in a retinoic acid-reversible fashion, EMBO Journal.
DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2006.09.013 Shen et al. 2006, The mechanisms of PML-nuclear body formation, Molecular Cell.
DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a000661 Lallemand-Breitenbach and de The 2010, PML nuclear bodies, Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology.
DOI:10.1083/jcb.201305148 Sahin et al. 2014, Oxidative stress-induced assembly of PML nuclear bodies controls sumoylation of partner proteins, Journal of Cell Biology.

Curation history

2026-09-27T23:18:02Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-27T23:19:14Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added GO PML-body synonymy, nuclear-body parentage, nuclear-lumen parthood, PML and Sp100 label-only components, Homo sapiens scope, SUMO-linked partner-sumoylation function evidence, a nonmechanistic SUMO-dependent PML-body assembly graph and a component-boundary TODO.
2026-09-27T23:33:05Z codex · RESOLVED_REVIEW — Resolved #1689 by retargeting the Homo sapiens taxonomic and canonical-example evidence from the PML-rescue paper to Koken et al. 1994's direct human acute-promyelocytic-leukemia PML-body evidence.

Source: data/structures/other/pml_body.yaml