The Role of Deubiquitinases in DNA Double-Strand Break Repair

DNA double-strand break (DSB) is a type of the most critical DNA lesions, and if not repaired promptly, it can result in cell death or a wide variety of genetic alterations including genome instability, large- or small-scale deletions, chromosome loss, loss of heterozygosity, and translocations. DSBs are repaired by double-strand break repair (DSBR), including nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) pathway, and defects in these pathways cause genome instability and promote tumorigenesis. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the superfamily of deubiq- uitinases (DUBs) can regulate the action and stability of DNA repair enzymes involving in DSBR via modifying ubiquitination levels, a reversible posttranslational modification pathway. In this review, we will discuss ubiquitination/deubiquitination modification involving in DSBR genes, the role of DUBs in DSBR and corresponding mechanisms, and the potential effects of this modification on human diseases.