Usp4 is an oncogenic protein, because its expression with a strong promoter results in the tumorigenic transformation of NIH3T3 cells injected into nude mice. Although the structure of Usp4 is that of a deubiquitinating enzyme, neither its precise function in mammalian cells nor the mechanism of Usp4-mediated tumorigenesis is known. Usp4 functions as a deubiquitinating enzyme in human HEK293T cells and its isopeptidase activity deconjugates ubiquitin specifically from a Usp4- interacting protein Ro52.