Functional properties of CYLD

CYLD is a deubiquitination enzyme which acts primarily as a tumor suppressor gene. Different mutations discovered in the CYLD gene cause loss of CYLD expression, which leads to development of different types of cancer. Besides cylindroma which is a benign skin tumor arising due to the loss of CYLD expression, CYLD was shown to be down-regulated in other types of cancer including uterine cervix, kidney, colon and hepatocellular carcinoma. The down-regulation or loss of CYLD interferes with signaling pathways such as cell cycle progression, regulation of gene expression, nuclear import and many others. More specifically, activation of CYLD induced by inflammation related stimuli regulates cell survival/apoptosis pathways, while in the presence of the tumor growth stimuli, CYLD controls and blocks the proliferation.