6-Thioguanine is a noncompetitive and slow binding inhibitor of human deubiquitinating protease USP2.

Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) belongs to the family of deubiquitinases that can rescue protein targets from proteasomal degradation by reversing their ubiquitination. In various cancers, including prostate cancer and ovarian carcinoma, upregulation of USP2 leads to an increase in the levels of deubiquitinated substrates such as fatty acid synthase, MDM2, cyclin D1 and Aurora-A. USP2 thus plays a critical role in tumor cells' survival and therefore represents a therapeutic target.

Thiopurine analogs and mycophenolic acid synergistically inhibit the papain-like protease of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a new highly pathogenic human coronaviruses that emerged in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia and has quickly spread to other countries in Middle East, Europe and North Africa since 2012. Up to 17 December 2014, it has infected at least 938 people with a fatality rate of about 36% globally. This has resulted in an urgent need to identify antiviral drugs that are active against MERS-CoV.

Structural and functional characterization of MERS coronavirus papain-like protease.

Backgrounds: A new highly pathogenic human coronavirus (CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), has emerged in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia and quickly spread to some European countries since September 2012. Until 15 May 2014, it has infected at least 572 people with a fatality rate of about 30% globally. Studies to understand the virus and to develop antiviral drugs or therapy are necessary and urgent.