BAP1: Not Just a BRCA1-Associated Protein

BRCA1-Associated Protein 1 (BAP1), encoded by the BAP1 gene, was originally discovered in 1998 as a novel ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase, an enzyme responsible for removing ubiquitin from protein substrates.[1] BAP1 was initially shown to localize to the nucleus where its primary interaction was binding to BRCA1 and enhancing its tumor suppressive activity.[1] In subsequent years, numerous research groups have revealed that BAP1 acts independently as a tumor suppressor, utilizing its deubiquitinating activity to regulate proteins involved in DNA damage repair, cellular differentiation, chromatin modulation, cell cycle control, and cell proliferation.[2] Clinical reports have demonstrated that BAP1 is commonly lost or inactivated in a variety of cancers.[3] Most notably, recent studies have indicated that germline mutations of BAP1 confer a novel tumor predisposition syndrome, characterized by a high incidence of early-onset malignancies consisting of uveal melanoma, malignant mesothelioma, cutaneous melanoma, and several other cancers.[4]
Source: Cancer Treatment Reviews - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Anti-tumour Treatment Source Type: research