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Review
. 2017 Nov 3:17:101.
doi: 10.1186/s12935-017-0472-0. eCollection 2017.

Targeting deubiquitinating enzymes in cancer stem cells

Hu Lei  1 , Huizhuang Shan  1 , Yingli Wu  1
Affiliations
Review

Targeting deubiquitinating enzymes in cancer stem cells

Hu Lei et al. Cancer Cell Int. .

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are rare but accounted for tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, relapse and therapeutic resistance. Ubiquitination and deubiquitination of stemness-related proteins are essential for CSC maintenance and differentiation, even leading to execute various stem cell fate choices. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), specifically disassembling ubiquitin chains, are important to maintain the balance between ubiquitination and deubiquitination. In this review, we have focused on the DUBs regulation of stem cell fate determination. For example, we discuss deubiquitinase inhibition may lead stem cell transcription factors and CSCs-related protein degradation. Also, CSCs microenvironment is regulated by DUBs activity. Our review provides a new insight into DUBs activity by emphasizing their cellular role in regulating stem cell fate and illustrates the opportunities for the application of DUBs inhibitors in the CSC-targeted therapy.

Keywords: CSCs; Cancer stem cells; Cancer therapies; Deubiquitinating enzymes.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CSCs cause cancer relapse and resistance after conventional cancer therapy. The conventional therapy targeting the tumor bulk without targeting the CSCs leads to tumor recurrence
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Regulating CSCs differentiation and pluripotency by ubiquitination and deubiquitination. Ubiquitination of core stem cell transcription factors or related key proteins by E3 ligases may drive CSCs differentiation, but deubiquitination of those proteins by DUBs mediates stem pluripotency
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