Deubiquitinases as Regulators and Therapeutic Targets in Vascular Diseases
- 1Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environment and Aging, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
- 2The Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100029, China
- 3School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
Abstract
Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are dynamic post-translational regulatory processes that control protein stability and signaling. Deubiquitinases (DUBs), which remove ubiquitin chains from target proteins, have emerged as important regulators of vascular homeostasis and disease. In this review, we summarize recent progress in defining the roles of DUBs in major vascular pathologies, including vascular inflammation, remodeling, neointimal formation, angiogenesis, endothelial barrier dysfunction, thrombosis, and fibrosis. Accumulating evidence indicates that distinct DUBs act in a cell type- and context-dependent manner in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts, contributing to vascular diseases such as aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, ischemic stroke, and intimal hyperplasia. These findings support DUBs as key regulatory nodes integrating ubiquitin signaling with inflammatory and stress-response pathways in the vasculature. In parallel, efforts to pharmacologically modulate DUB activity have led to the development of selective inhibitors and activators, although challenges remain in achieving substrate specificity and tissue selectivity. Overall, DUBs represent promising therapeutic targets for vascular disease, and future studies should focus on defining disease-specific DUB–substrate networks and developing context-dependent strategies for precise vascular intervention.
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BibTeX
@article{lin2026deubiquitinases,
title = {{Deubiquitinases as Regulators and Therapeutic Targets in Vascular Diseases}},
author = {Zi-Kun Lin and Lei Wang},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27188350},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8350},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Deubiquitinases as Regulators and Therapeutic Targets in Vascular Diseases
AU - Zi-Kun Lin
AU - Lei Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/19
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27188350
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8350
AB - Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are dynamic post-translational regulatory processes that control protein stability and signaling. Deubiquitinases (DUBs), which remove ubiquitin chains from target proteins, have emerged as important regulators of vascular homeostasis and disease. In this review, we summarize recent progress in defining the roles of DUBs in major vascular pathologies, including vascular inflammation, remodeling, neointimal formation, angiogenesis, endothelial barrier dysfunction, thrombosis, and fibrosis. Accumulating evidence indicates that distinct DUBs act in a cell type- and context-dependent manner in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts, contributing to vascular diseases such as aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, ischemic stroke, and intimal hyperplasia. These findings support DUBs as key regulatory nodes integrating ubiquitin signaling with inflammatory and stress-response pathways in the vasculature. In parallel, efforts to pharmacologically modulate DUB activity have led to the development of selective inhibitors and activators, although challenges remain in achieving substrate specificity and tissue selectivity. Overall, DUBs represent promising therapeutic targets for vascular disease, and future studies should focus on defining disease-specific DUB–substrate networks and developing context-dependent strategies for precise vascular intervention.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -