Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) is a critical ubiquitin-like protein that can be conjugated to proteins via the ISGylation system to modify them posttranslationally. Furthermore, ISG15 can be detected as non-conjugated or free, intracellularly and/or extracellularly. Both conjugated and free ISG15 participate in different cancer types, including breast cancer. Here, we highlighted the findings on ISG15 and protein ISGylation, and their implications in the field of breast cancer research. ISG15 emerges as a central element in mammary tumors and may become a crucial protein in the strategies for detection, prognosis, and therapy of breast cancer.

干扰素刺激基因 15 (ISG15) 是一种关键的泛素样蛋白，可通过 ISGylation 系统与蛋白质结合，从而在翻译后对其进行修饰。此外，ISG15 可在细胞内和/或细胞外检测为非偶联或游离。结合的和游离的 ISG15 都参与不同的癌症类型，包括乳腺癌。在这里，我们强调了 ISG15 和蛋白质 ISGylation 的发现，以及它们在乳腺癌研究领域的意义。ISG15 作为乳腺肿瘤的核心元素出现，并可能成为乳腺癌检测、预后和治疗策略中的关键蛋白。