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Nature Cell Biology 9, 765–774 (1 July 2007) | doi:10.1038/ncb1601

The ubiquitin-specific protease USP28 is required for MYC stability

Nikita Popov , Michael Wanzel , Mandy Madiredjo , Dong Zhang , Roderick Beijersbergen , Rene Bernards , Roland Moll , Stephen J. Elledge & Martin Eilers

The MYC proto-oncogene encodes a transcription factor that has been implicated in the genesis of many human tumours. Here, we used a bar-code short hairpin RNA (shRNA) screen to identify multiple genes that are required for MYC function. One of these genes encodes USP28, an ubiquitin-specific protease. USP28 is required for MYC stability in human tumour cells. USP28 binds to MYC through an interaction with FBW7α, an F-box protein that is part of an SCF-type ubiquitin ligase. Therefore, it stabilizes MYC in the nucleus, but not in the nucleolus, where MYC is degraded by FBW7γ. High expression levels of USP28 are found in colon and breast carcinomas, and stabilization of MYC by USP28 is essential for tumour-cell proliferation.