Deubiquitinases and Cancer

Deubiquitinases are involved in removing ubiquitin (UBQ) from ubiquitylated substrates to regulate their activity and stability. They are involved in various cellular functions including proteasome- and lysosome-dependent proteolysis, gene expression, cell cycle progression, chromosome segregation, kinase activation, histone modification, cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation, spermatogenesis, apoptosis, endocytosis, autophagy, localization, and DNA damage repair. On the other hand, it is also involved in the processes of carcinogenesis and cancer development. DUBs are related to different aspects of human cancer, including proliferation, cell cycle control, apoptosis, DNA damage response (DDR), tumor suppression, oncogenesis, and metastasis. Multiple processes involved in innate and adaptive immunity, such as antigen presentation, cell differentiation, immune defense, and inflammatory responses, are regulated by ubiquitination/deubiquitination. Dysregulation of DUBs is implicated in several human diseases, highlighting the importance of DUB function. This review also provides basic knowledge of DUBs in the development of cancers and highlights the importance of DUBs in T-cell development, apoptosis, and cancer with a specific emphasis on oral cancers. This review highlights the recent advances in the field of cancer biology with a specific role in DUBs in cellular functions. The aberrant expression and regulation of these enzymes have been shown to contribute to promote tumorigenesis, making them promising therapeutic targets for cancer therapy.