G3BP1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: To dissect the oncogenic mechanisms led by USP21 in regulating ESCC progression in this study, Co-IP assays and mass spectrometry analysis were performed to obtain potential proteins binding to USP21, among which G3BP1 was selected for further exploration due to its relatively high enrichment in the Co-IP complex and oncogenic role in ESCC progression [33].