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Nag et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2020;6:16 Journal of Cancer
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2020.23 Metastasis and Treatment

Review Open Access

Deubiquitination in prostate cancer progression:
role of USP22

Nivedita Nag , Samikshan Dutta 2
1
1 Department of Microbiology, Sister Nibedita Government General Degree College for Girls, Kolkata 700027, India.
2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA.

Correspondence to: Dr. Samikshan Dutta, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical
Center, BCC 6-12-391, 985870 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA. E-mail: samikshan.dutta@unmc.edu
How to cite this article: Nag N, Dutta S. Deubiquitination in prostate cancer progression: role of USP22. J Cancer Metastasis
Treat 2020;6:16. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2020.23
Received: 24 Mar 2020 First Decision: 14 Apr 2020 Revised: 7 May 2020 Accepted: 2 Jun 2020 Published: 18 Jun 2020

Science Editor: Zhou Wang Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Tian Zhang

Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of cancer death in men. With more therapeutic modalities available, the
overall survival in PCa has increased significantly in recent years. Patients with relapses after advanced second-
generation anti-androgen therapy however, often show poor disease prognosis. This group of patients often die
from cancer-related complicacies. Multiple approaches have been taken to understand disease recurrence and to
correlate the gene expression profile. In one such study, an 11-gene signature was identified to be associated with
PCa recurrence and poor survival. Amongst them, a specific deubiquitinase called ubiquitin-specific peptidase 22
(USP22) was selectively and progressively overexpressed with PCa progression. Subsequently, it was shown to
regulate androgen receptors and Myc, the two most important regulators of PCa progression. Furthermore, USP22
has been shown to be associated with the development of therapy resistant PCa. Inhibiting USP22 was also found
to be therapeutically advantageous, especially in clinically challenging and advanced PCa. This review provides an
update of USP22 related functions and challenges associated with PCa research and explains why targeting this
axis is beneficial for PCa relapse cases.

Keywords: USP22, prostate cancer, SAGA, Deubiquitin

INTRODUCTION
Epidemiologically, prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men and second most common
[1]
cancer related death worldwide . Over the past few years, treatment modalities have improved, albeit
modestly, the overall survival of PCa patients. The fate of advanced PCa remains the same however, and
androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard of care in such cases. PCa eventually recurs within

© The Author(s) 2020. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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