Patent ID: 7070947

Claim:
A method for identifying a candidate compound which modulates the ubiquitin hydrolase activity of a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: a) a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence which is at least 95% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:58, 60, or a complement thereof, b) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:59, wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes to a nucleic acid molecule comprising SEQ ID NO:58, 60, or a complement thereof under conditions of hybridization in 0.5 M sodium phosphate, 7% SDS at 65° C., followed by one or more washes in 0.2×SSC, 1% SDS at 65° C.; c) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 89 to 420 of SEQ ID NO:59; and d) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:59, the method comprising the steps of: i) contacting the polypeptide, or a cell expressing the polypeptide with a test compound; ii) determining the effect of the test compound on ubiquitin hydrolase activity of the polypeptide, to thereby identify a candidate compound which modulates ubiquitin hydrolase activity of the polypeptide; and iii) determining the effect of the candidate compound identified in ii) on a cellular activity selected from the group consisting of cell proliferation, cell signaling, cell death, cell motility, receptor-mediated endocytosis, organelle biogenesis, hematopoietic cell proliferation or differentiation, and cytokine-mediated signaling events.