Cellular Signalling and Cancer
Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification that plays a key role in the regulation of several cellular functions. From a clinical point of view, mutations in many genes of the ubiquitin system have been causally linked to various diseases, including cancer. Ubiquitination is a reversible process due to the presence of deubiquitinases (enzymes that specifically remove ubiquitin from target proteins). Although little is known about deubiquitinases, they are emerging as central regulators of the ubiquitin system.
Our goal is to characterize the biological functions and mechanisms of action of deubiquitinases involved in transcription and DNA repair, two processes whose deregulation plays a fundamental role in cancer development.
We use state-of-the-art biochemical, molecular biological and cell culture approaches to characterize the functions of deubiquitinases.
Our work allows a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing the ubiquitin system. In addition, new concepts will be developed concerning the regulation of transcription and DNA repair. Furthermore, our work should contribute to the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer in personalized medicine.