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Protein / target

Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase 7

Encoded byUSP7Q93009Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
1
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Cysteine-type deubiquitinase

Strongest disease association

Genetic Diseases, Inborn

Via encoding gene USP7 · Genetic evidence · score 0.78

Research activity

Emerging research

1 papers · latest 2020

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Hydrolase that deubiquitinates target proteins such as ARMC5, FOXO4, DEPTOR, KAT5, p53/TP53, MDM2, ERCC6, DNMT1, UHRF1, PTEN, KMT2E/MLL5 and DAXX.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Hydrolase that deubiquitinates target proteins such as ARMC5, FOXO4, DEPTOR, KAT5, p53/TP53, MDM2, ERCC6, DNMT1, UHRF1, PTEN, KMT2E/MLL5 and DAXX (PubMed:11923872, PubMed:15053880, PubMed:16964248, PubMed:18716620, PubMed:25283148, PubMed:25865756, PubMed:26678539, PubMed:28655758, PubMed:33544460, PubMed:35216969). Together with DAXX, prevents MDM2 self-ubiquitination and enhances the E3 ligase activity of MDM2 towards p53/TP53, thereby promoting p53/TP53 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation (PubMed:15053880, PubMed:16845383, PubMed:18566590, PubMed:20153724). Deubiquitinates p53/TP53, preventing degradation of p53/TP53, and enhances p53/TP53-dependent transcription regulation, cell growth repression and apoptosis (PubMed:25283148). Deubiquitinates p53/TP53 and MDM2 and strongly stabilizes p53/TP53 even in the presence of excess MDM2, and also induces p53/TP53-dependent cell growth repression and apoptosis (PubMed:11923872, PubMed:26786098). Deubiquitination of FOXO4 in presence of hydrogen peroxide is not dependent on p53/TP53 and inhibits FOXO4-induced transcriptional activity (PubMed:16964248). In association with DAXX, is involved in the deubiquitination and translocation of PTEN from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, both processes that are counteracted by PML (PubMed:18716620). Deubiquitinates KMT2E/MLL5 preventing KMT2E/MLL5 proteasomal-mediated degradation (PubMed:26678539). Involved in cell proliferation during early embryonic development. Involved in transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) in response to UV damage: recruited to DNA damage sites following interaction with KIAA1530/UVSSA and promotes deubiquitination of ERCC6, preventing UV-induced degradation of ERCC6 (PubMed:22466611, PubMed:22466612). Involved in maintenance of DNA methylation via its interaction with UHRF1 and DNMT1: acts by mediating deubiquitination of UHRF1 and DNMT1, preventing their degradation and promoting DNA methylation by DNMT1 (PubMed:21745816, PubMed:22411829). Deubiquitinates alkylation repair enzyme ALKBH3. OTUD4 recruits USP7 and USP9X to stabilize ALKBH3, thereby promoting the repair of alkylated DNA lesions (PubMed:25944111). Acts as a chromatin regulator via its association with the Polycomb group (PcG) multiprotein PRC1-like complex; may act by deubiquitinating components of the PRC1-like complex (PubMed:20601937). Able to mediate deubiquitination of histone H2B; it is however unsure whether this activity takes place in vivo (PubMed:20601937). Exhibits a preference towards 'Lys-48'-linked ubiquitin chains (PubMed:22689415). Increases regulatory T-cells (Treg) suppressive capacity by deubiquitinating and stabilizing the transcription factor FOXP3 which is crucial for Treg cell function (PubMed:23973222). Plays a role in the maintenance of the circadian clock periodicity via deubiquitination and stabilization of the CRY1 and CRY2 proteins (PubMed:27123980). Deubiquitinates REST, thereby stabilizing REST and promoting the maintenance of neural progenitor cells (PubMed:21258371). Deubiquitinates SIRT7, inhibiting SIRT7 histone deacetylase activity and regulating gluconeogenesis (PubMed:28655758). Involved in the regulation of WASH-dependent actin polymerization at the surface of endosomes and the regulation of endosomal protein recycling (PubMed:26365382). It maintains optimal WASH complex activity and precise F-actin levels via deubiquitination of TRIM27 and WASHC1 (PubMed:26365382). Mediates the deubiquitination of phosphorylated DEPTOR, promoting its stability and leading to decreased mTORC1 signaling (PubMed:35216969). Deubiquitinates H2AB1, H2BC4 and H2BC22 (By similarity)

Subcellular location

NucleusCytoplasmNucleus, PML bodyChromosome
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (35)

Domains & features

MATHUSP

Gene Ontology

  • Cchromosome
  • Ccytosol
  • Cnuclear body
  • Cnucleoplasm
  • Cnucleus
  • CPML body
  • Cprotein-containing complex
  • Fcysteine-type deubiquitinase activity
  • Fcysteine-type endopeptidase activity
  • Fdeubiquitinase activity
  • FK48-linked deubiquitinase activity
  • Fp53 binding

1102 aa · 128 kDa · 3 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Transcriptional regulationUniProt · GOImmune signallingUniProt · GOProteolysisGO
View supporting evidence

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Hydrolase that deubiquitinates target proteins such as ARMC5, FOXO4, DEPTOR, KAT5, p53/T…
  • ·negative regulation of gene expression via chromosomal CpG island methylation
  • ·transcription-coupled nucleotide-excision repair

Immune signalling

  • ·Hydrolase that deubiquitinates target proteins such as ARMC5, FOXO4, DEPTOR, KAT5, p53/T…
  • ·antiviral innate immune response

Proteolysis

  • ·cysteine-type endopeptidase activity
  • ·proteolysis

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene USP7

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene USP7 that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Genetic Diseases, Inborn
0.79Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.48

Neurodevelopmental Disorders
0.57Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.35

Sialadenitis
0.39Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.23

Burkitt Lymphoma
0.37Limited support

Somatic mutation evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.35

Neurodegenerative Diseases
0.37Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.53 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
Genetic Diseases, InbornWell supported
0.79
agreement 0.650.92
Genetic99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.48 · 2 independent evidence families

Neurodevelopmental DisordersModerately supported
0.57
agreement 0.430.71
Genetic95%Literature5%

Open Targets aggregate 0.35 · 2 independent evidence families

SialadenitisLimited support
0.39
agreement 0.270.51
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.23 · 1 independent evidence family

Burkitt LymphomaLimited support
0.37
agreement 0.210.53
Somatic mutation99%Literature2%

Open Targets aggregate 0.35 · 2 independent evidence families

Neurodegenerative DiseasesPreliminary
0.37
agreement 0.190.54
Pathway92%Literature8%

Open Targets aggregate 0.53 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.53
Genetic Diseases, Inborn0.48
Burkitt Lymphoma0.35
Neurodevelopmental Disorders0.35
Sialadenitis0.23

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and high-quality ligand) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot ubiquitination and database ubiquitination) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (8)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Med-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

1 papers · to 2020

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.