PML nuclear bodies: regulation, function and therapeutic perspectives

PML nuclear bodies ( NBs ) were first described by electron microscopy and rediscovered through their treatment‐reversible disruption in a rare leukaemia. They recruit multiple partner proteins and now emerge as interferon‐ and oxidative stress‐responsive sumoylation factories. NBs mediate interferon‐induced viral restriction, enhance proteolysis, finely tune metabolism and enforce stress‐induced senescence. Apart from being markers of cellular stress, PML NBs could be harnessed pharmacologically in a number of conditions, including cancer, viral infection or neurodegenerative diseases.