Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 37 (USP37)

Ubiquitin (Ub) is a highly conserved protein found ubiquitously in eukaryotic organisms. The conjugation of ubiquitin to proteins is an important means to regulate protein activity for many cellular processes by tagging them for degradation. Removal of Ub can rescue proteins from degradation. Ubiquitin specific processing protease 37 (USP37) is a member of this family. The availability of the human and mouse genome sequences has allowed the identification and comparison of their respective degradomes--the complete repertoire of proteases that are produced by these organisms. Because of the essential roles of proteolytic enzymes in the control of cell behaviour, survival and death, degradome analysis provides a useful framework for the global exploration of these protease-mediated functions in normal and pathological conditions.