Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 1

USP1 is a nuclear ubiquitin-specific protease whose best-characterized substrates are the monoubiquitinated forms of FANCD2 and FANCI, which it deubiquitinates to control the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway. It also deubiquitinates monoubiquitinated PCNA, thereby regulating translesion DNA synthesis and limiting mutagenesis. USP1 acts in a complex with the WD-repeat protein UAF1 (WDR48), which stimulates catalytic activity, and the enzyme undergoes caspase-mediated autocleavage during apoptosis. Because constitutive FANCD2 and PCNA ubiquitination impairs genome stability and proliferation, USP1 has emerged as a target for oncology drug discovery, with several selective inhibitors entering preclinical and clinical development.