Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 16 (UBP16 or Ubp-M), also known as ubiquitin-specific protease 16 (USP16), is a histone H2A deubiquitinase required for cell cycle M phase progression. It also regulates gene expression in G1/S phase. In Xenopus embryos, it regulates embryonic anterior-posterior patterning through the regulation of Hox gene expression []. USP16 is a critical regulator of DNA damage response that fine-tunes DNA damage-induced histone ubiquitin foci formation [].