# USP28

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/usp28/  
OnCo record `usp28` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

USP28 (Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 28) is an enzyme. The public catalogues list it as a DNA repair gene, and the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Prostate cancer.

## Summary

Deubiquitinase involved in DNA damage response checkpoint and MYC proto-oncogene stability. Involved in DNA damage induced apoptosis by specifically deubiquitinating proteins of the DNA damage pathway such as CLSPN. Also involved in G2 DNA damage checkpoint, by deubiquitinating CLSPN, and preventing its degradation by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C).

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.57 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.97, genetic association 0.69, somatic mutation 0.23).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: ubiquitin specific peptidase 28; Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 28; KIAA1515
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: USP28
- Class: enzyme
- Biology: Deubiquitinase involved in DNA damage response checkpoint and MYC proto-oncogene stability. Involved in DNA damage induced apoptosis by specifically deubiquitinating proteins of the DNA damage pathway such as CLSPN. Also involved in G2 DNA damage checkpoint, by deubiquitinating CLSPN, and preventing its degradation by the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C). In contrast, it does not deubiquitinate PLK1. Specifically deubiquitinates MYC in the nucleoplasm, leading to prevent MYC degradation by the proteasome: acts by specifically interacting with isoform 1 of FBXW7 (FBW7alpha) in the nucleoplasm and counteracting ubiquitination of MYC by the SCF(FBW7) complex. In contrast, it does not interact with isoform 4 of FBXW7 (FBW7gamma) in the nucleolus, allowing MYC degradation and explaining the selective MYC degradation in the nucleolus. Location: Nucleus, nucleoplasm (UniProt). Locus 11q23.2 (HGNC).
- Where found: Prostate cancer: Open Targets association 0.56 with prostate cancer (MONDO_0008315)

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: UniProt keyword "DNA repair". Evidence tier "association-only" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:12625: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:12625
- UniProt Q96RU2: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q96RU2/entry
- NCBI Gene 57646: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/57646
- Ensembl ENSG00000048028: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000048028

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/usp28.json