Western blot analysis revealed that UCHL5 upregulated ZRANB1 and downregulated SLC7A11/GPX4 expression.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study demonstrates that UCHL5 acts as a critical tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer by stabilizing ZRANB1 through deubiquitination and regulating ferroptosis via the SLC7A11-GPX4 axis. The gene discussed is SLC7A11; the disease is thyroid cancer.