title: Prospects for skin cancer treatment and prevention: the potential contribution of an engineered virus.
abstract: Nonmelanoma skin cancers are among the most common human malignancies. Although typically not lethal, they are responsible for tissue deformity and substantial morbidity, particularly in high-risk populations. Solar UVB radiation-a major etiologic factor for this kind of malignancy-produces DNA lesions such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 6-4 photoproducts in skin. These lesions are removed through nucleotide excision repair because humans lack a DNA glycosylase required to initiate base excision repair of pyrimidine-pyrimidine photoproducts but produce all the other proteins required for this process. In this issue, Johnson et al. show that a DNA glycosylase derived from Chlorella virus and engineered to enhance tissue penetration and nuclear localization can remove UVB-induced DNA lesions in a human skin equivalent model and that the protein can be incorporated into a topical formulation for the prevention and treatment of UVB-induced DNA damage. These results suggest that such an enzyme may be incorporated into regimens for the chemoprevention of skin cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cafardi
authors.forename: Rubina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shafi
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Athar
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Elmets
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D002708:Chlorella; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D045647:DNA Glycosylases / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D045647:DNA Glycosylases