Targeting ubiquitin specific protease 7 in cancer: A deubiquitinase with great prospects

Deubiquitinase (DUB)-mediated cleavage of ubiquitin chain balances ubiquitination and deubiquitination for determining protein fate. USP7 is one of the best characterized DUBs and functionally important. Numerous proteins have been identified as potential substrates and binding partners of USP7; those play crucial roles in diverse array of cellular and biological processes including tumour suppression, cell cycle, DNA repair, chromatin remodelling, and epigenetic regulation. This review aims at summarizing the current knowledge of this wide association of USP7 with many cellular processes that enlightens the possibility of abnormal USP7 activity in promoting oncogenesis and the importance of identification of specific inhibitors.