Senp2, short for SUMO-specific protease 2, is crucial in regulating the SUMOylation-de-SUMOylation balance. SUMOylation is a post-translational modification that impacts protein function, localization, and stability. Senp2's function is to remove SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) from substrate proteins, thus affecting various biological pathways. It is involved in processes such as energy metabolism, cell proliferation, and calcium homeostasis, making it biologically significant in multiple tissues and disease contexts. Genetic models, like knockout (KO) or conditional knockout (CKO) mouse models, have been valuable in understanding its functions.

In pancreatic β cells, Senp2-βKO mice had impaired glucose tolerance and insulin secretion, along with mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting Senp2 regulates mitochondrial function and insulin secretion by modulating DRP1 phosphorylation [2]. In adipocytes, Senp2-aKO mice were resistant to diet-induced obesity due to increased energy expenditure, as Senp2 negatively regulates browning of white adipose tissue by de-conjugating SUMO from C/EBPβ [1]. In brown adipose tissue development, SENP2-mediated de-SUMOylation of CREB suppresses Necdin expression, promoting brown adipocyte differentiation, shown through the analysis of a SENP2 BAT conditional knockout mouse model [4]. In Th17 cells, deleting Senp2 in T-cell lineages exacerbated experimental colitis, revealing its role in restraining Th17-mediated inflammation [3].

In conclusion, Senp2 plays essential roles in energy metabolism, including insulin secretion and adipose tissue browning, as well as in cell-specific functions like Th17-mediated inflammation. The KO/CKO mouse models have been instrumental in uncovering these functions, which are relevant to diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Understanding Senp2's functions provides insights into potential therapeutic targets for these disease areas.