This gene encodes a member of the OTU (ovarian tumor) domain-containing cysteine protease superfamily. The OTU domain confers deubiquitinase activity and the encoded protein has been shown to suppress the type I interferon-dependent innate immune response by cleaving the polyubiquitin chain from an essential type I interferon adaptor protein. Cleavage results in disassociation of the adaptor protein from a downstream signaling complex and disruption of the type I interferon signaling cascade. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described.
Kayagaki N, Phung Q, Chan S, Chaudhari R, Quan C, O'Rourke KM, Eby M, Pietras E, Cheng G, Bazan JF, Zhang Z, Arnott D, Dixit VM (2007). "DUBA: a deubiquitinase that regulates type I interferon production". Science. 318 (5856): 1628–32. Bibcode:2007Sci...318.1628K. doi:10.1126/science.1145918. PMID17991829. S2CID46585990.
Huang OW, Ma X, Yin J, Flinders J, Maurer T, Kayagaki N, Phung Q, Bosanac I, Arnott D, Dixit VM, Hymowitz SG, Starovasnik MA, Cochran AG (2012). "Phosphorylation-dependent activity of the deubiquitinase DUBA". Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 19 (2): 171–5. doi:10.1038/nsmb.2206. PMID22245969. S2CID33600627.