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USP52 impedes malignant progression and cell stemness in prostate cancer by deubiquitinating RBM5 to down-regulate

Hongliang Wu1, Sheng Wang1, Shuai Yang1

  • 1Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China.

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
|March 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Ubiquitin-specific protease 52 (USP52) suppresses prostate cancer (PCa) progression and stemness by stabilizing RBM5 and reducing NCAPG2. USP52 represents a potential therapeutic target for PCa treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Ubiquitin-specific protease 52 (USP52) is implicated in cancer progression via deubiquitination.
  • The specific role and mechanism of USP52 in prostate cancer (PCa) remain largely uncharacterized.
  • Understanding USP52's regulation of key proteins like RBM5 and NCAPG2 is crucial for PCa research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional regulation of USP52 in prostate cancer (PCa) development and stemness.
  • To elucidate the interplay between USP52, RNA binding motif protein 5 (RBM5), and non-SMC condensin II complex subunit G2 (NCAPG2) in PCa.
  • To determine USP52's potential as a therapeutic target for PCa.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting for expression analysis.
  • In vitro assays including proliferation (colony formation, EdU), migration (wound healing), invasion (Transwell), and stemness (sphere formation).
  • In vivo xenograft tumor assays, co-immunoprecipitation for ubiquitination, and dual-luciferase reporter assays for protein interactions.

Main Results:

  • USP52 was aberrantly downregulated in PCa samples and cells.
  • Overexpression of USP52 significantly suppressed PCa cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness, and inhibited tumor growth in vivo.
  • USP52 stabilized RBM5 by deubiquitination and repressed NCAPG2 expression, thereby inhibiting PCa progression and stemness.

Conclusions:

  • USP52 acts as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer.
  • USP52 inhibits PCa progression and stemness by deubiquitinating RBM5, leading to the downregulation of NCAPG2.
  • USP52 demonstrates significant potential as a therapeutic target for prostate cancer.
Keywords:
Cell stemnessNon-SMC condensin II complex subunit G2Prostate cancerRNA binding motif protein 5Ubiquitin-specific protease 52

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