The Regulatory Potential of OTUD4 in DNA Damage Repair

The choice of DNA repair pathway and the subsequent initiation of a select pathway in response to a DNA lesion are complex, and many questions remaining as to their regulation. We identified the deubiquitinase OTU deubiquitinase 4 (OTUD4) as a novel putative interactor of Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C protein (XPC), one of the crucial sensors of DNA damage in global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER). The goal of this study was to establish a greater understanding of the role of OTUD4 in the DNA damage response. While the complexity of the structure and function of OTUD4 remain to be fully unraveled, our study found that knockout of OTUD4 led to altered XPC ubiquitination and, intriguingly, to a specific sensitivity to cisplatin. Further studies will allow more understanding of the role of OTUD4 in the DNA damage response