Q9Y5K5

UCHL5, also known as UCH37, is a 329 amino acid protein that functions to edit polyubiquinated protein substrates. Since UCHL5 has the potential to rescue ubiquinated proteins, including oncogenic proteins, from proteasomal degradation, it is likely that deregulation of UCHL5 may affect tumor growth. Through associations with Smad7, UHCL5 can dramatically upregulate TGFβ-dependent gene expression by de-ubiquinating and stabilizing TGFβ RI. Also, since overexpression of UCHL5 and other deubiquitinating enzymes has been observed in many cancer cell lines, inhibition of these proteins may be of some interest in designing therapies for cancer treatment. There are four isoforms of UCHL5 that exist as a result of alternative splicing events.