F-box only protein 31 (FBXO31), initially identified in 2005, is a novel subunit of the S-phase kinase associated protein 1-Cullin 1-F-box ubiquitin ligase. As with other F-box proteins, FBXO31 may interact with several proteins to promote their ubquitination and subsequent degradation in an F-box-dependent manner. It has been revealed that FBXO31 serves a crucial role in DNA damage response and tumorigenesis. However, the expression and function of FBXO31 varies in different types of human cancer. To the best of our knowledge, the present review is the first to summarize the role of FBXO31 in different types of human cancer and determine its underlying mechanisms, thereby paving the road for the design of FBXO31-targeted anticancer therapies.
Keywords: DNA damage; F-box only protein 31; F-box protein; cell cycle; tumorigenesis; ubiquitination.