Molecular analysis of the interaction between ubiquitin-specific protease 7 and large T antigen of Merkel cell polyomavirus

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is the primary causative agent of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but highly aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. Large T antigen (LT), one of two oncoproteins encoded by MCPyV, sustains the proliferation of MCPyV-infected tumor cells. LT contains multiple protein-binding motifs that mediate interactions with diverse host proteins essential for its function. Among these, ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (Usp7), a deubiquitinase that regulates the stability of multip