Molecular regulation by ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) in HCC: cell cycle, oncogenic signaling, and beyond.

Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) are a large family of deubiquitinating enzymes that all serve the important function of removing ubiquitin moieties from target proteins, thereby maintaining cellular homeostasis. Post-translational modifications, including ubiquitin modifications, play a crucial role in regulating protein stability, localization, and function, thereby profoundly influencing cellular processes such as cell cycle progression, signal transduction, and the response to DNA damage. Increasingly extensive evidence indicates that altered USP activity creates dysfunction of these fundamental cellular pathways and initiates and promotes multiple cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).