Ubiquitin-specific proteases as therapeutic targets for the treatment of breast cancer

Key mediators of signaling pathways in breast cancer involve post-translational protein modification, primarily mediated through phosphorylation and ubiquitination. While previous studies focused on phosphorylation events, more recent analysis suggests that ubiquitin plays a parallel and equally important role in several signaling and cell regulatory events in breast cancer. Availability of new tools capable of sensitive detection of gene mutations and aberrant expression of genes and proteins coupled with gene-specific knockdown and silencing protocols have provided insight into the previously unexplored ubiquitin regulatory process within these tumors. Ubiquitin-specific proteases are one class of enzymes with protein deubiquitinating activity, making up the majority of protein deubiquitinating diversity within mammalian cells. Ubiquitin-specific proteases are also emerging as potential therapeutic targets in many diseases, including cancer. In this report, we summarize the involvement of this class of enzymes in breast cancer signaling and cell regulation and illustrate the potential for additional studies to define novel targets and approaches in breast cancer therapy. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13058-014-0461-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.