The ubiquitin (Ub) pathway involves three sequential enzymatic steps that facilitate the conjugation of Ub and Ub-like molecules to specific protein substrates. Through the use of a wide range of enzymes that can add or remove ubiquitin, the Ub pathway controls many intracellular processes such as signal transduction, transcriptional activation and cell cycle progression. USP3 (ubiquitin specific peptidase 3), also known as UBP or SIH003, is a 520 amino acid protein that contains one UBP-type zinc finger and belongs to the peptidase C19 family. Expressed ubiquitously with highest levels present in pancreas, USP3 catalyzes the conversion of a ubiquitin C-terminal thioester to a free ubiquitin and a thiol. The gene encoding USP3 maps to human chromosome 15, which houses over 700 genes and comprises nearly 3% of the human genome.
