# Project 2: TOPK/PRPK as Novel Targets for Skin Cancer Prevention

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2022 · $156,691

## Abstract

ABSTRACT 
Project 2 (Dong, Bode) TOPK/PRPK as Novel Targets for Skin Cancer Prevention 
Solar ultraviolet (sUV) light is an environmental carcinogen that causes inflammation and cancer. Notably, the 
incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is increasing yearly. Reducing the incidence of cutaneous 
squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) would not only reduce their potentially severe morbidity and mortality, but 
also dramatically reduce the multibillion dollar health bill associated with surgical and medical treatments 
required for NMSCs. Thus identifying the signaling molecules in the development of cSCC is critically important. 
We recently discovered 2 new very promising protein targets for preventing sUV-induced skin cancer and will 
focus on those kinases in this renewal working with Projects 1 and 3. The T-LAK cell-originated protein kinase 
(TOPK), a serine-threonine kinase, is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) family, 
and is involved in tumor development, growth, apoptosis, and inflammation. TOPK is highly expressed in a 
variety of cancers, including NMSCs and melanoma. We also found that p53-related protein kinase (PRPK), 
which is downstream of TOPK, is a crucial player in skin cancer development. This project is aimed to examine 
the role of TOPK and PRPK in SSL-induced skin cancer and to test the effectiveness of novel TOPK and PRPK 
inhibitors in preventing sUV-induced skin cancer. The hypothesis to be tested in this proposal is that TOPK and 
PRPK play functional roles in SSL-induced skin carcinogenesis and are novel diagnostic markers and important 
targets for the development of therapeutic agents to prevent and treat NMSCs. Because our preliminary data 
showed that targeting TOPK or PRPK can almost totally block solar UV-induced skin cancer, we expect that data 
from this project have the potential to completely negate the idea that skin cancer cannot be prevented.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10475138
- **Project number:** 5P01CA229112-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** REBECCA Jane MORRIS
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $156,691
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-10 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10475138

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10475138, Project 2: TOPK/PRPK as Novel Targets for Skin Cancer Prevention (5P01CA229112-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10475138. Licensed CC0.

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