Mapping and visualization of global research progress on deubiquitinases in ovarian cancer: a bibliometric analysis

Background: Ovarian cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have emerged as critical regulators of protein ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, influencing various cellular processes relevant to cancer pathogenesis. In this study, the research progress between ovarian cancer and DUBs was mapped and visualized using bibliometrics, and the expression patterns and biological roles of DUBs in ovarian cancer were summarized. Methods: Studies related to DUBs in ovarian cancer were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. VOSviewer 1.6.20, CiteSpace 6.3.R1, and R4.3.3 were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization. Results: For analysis 243 articles were included in this study. The number of publications on DUBs in ovarian cancer has gradually increased each year. China, the United States, and the United Kingdom are at the center of this field of research. The Johns Hopkins University, Genentech, and Roche Holding are the main research institutions. David Komander, Zhihua Liu, and Richard Roden are the top authors in this field. The top five journals with the largest publication volumes in this field are Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Journal of Biological Chemistry, PLOS One, Nature Communications, and Oncotarget. Keyword burst analysis identified five research areas: "deubiquitinating enzyme," "expression," "activation," "degradation," and "ubiquitin." In addition, we summarized the expression profiles and biological roles of DUBs in ovarian cancer, highlighting their roles in tumor initiation, growth, chemoresistance, and metastasis. Conclusion: An overview of the research progress is provided in this study on DUBs in ovarian cancer over the last three decades. It offers insight into the most cited papers and authors, core journals, and identified new trends.