The ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation pathway is essential for proteolysis of intracellular proteins and peptides. Enzymes that remove ubiquitin from ubiquitin-conjugated peptides, like USP28, affect the fate and degradation of intracellular proteins and are essential for maintenance of cell-free ubiquitin pools (Valero et al., 2001).[supplied by OMIM].
Function: Deubiquitinase involved in DNA damage response checkpoint and MYC proto-oncogene stability. Involved in DNA damage induced apoptosis by specifically deubiquitinating proteins of the DNA damage pathway such as CLSPN. Also involved in G2 DNA damage checkpoint, by deubiquitinating CLSPN, and preventing its degradation by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C). In contrast, it does not deubiquitinate PLK1. Specifically deubiquitinates MYC in the nucleoplasm, leading to prevent MYC degradation by the proteasome: acts by specifically interacting with isoform 1 of FBXW7 (FBW7alpha) in the nucleoplasm and counteracting ubiquitination of MYC by the SCF(FBW7) complex. In contrast, it does not interact with isoform 4 of FBXW7 (FBW7gamma) in the nucleolus, allowing MYC degradation and explaining the selective MYC degradation in the nucleolus.