Abraham Valdez

He/him

Education: Majoring in Life Sciences

Mentor: Nicholas Wallace, Ph.D.

McNair Project: Beta-HPV Alters the Accumulation of Proteins for DNA Damage Repair

Skin cancer is most commonly caused by exposure to harmful ultraviolet light from the
sun. Although efforts have been made to resolve this issue, such as the production of
topical protection against the sun, skin cancer rates have failed to cease. Therefore,
something else may be causing these perpetuating skin cancer rates. Beta-HPV is a
mild kind of HPV that generally infects the skin. Most people infected won’t experience
symptoms, however, immunocompromised individuals can develop skin cancer as a
result of this infection. The genome of beta-HPV consists of several proteins that
prevent skin cells from properly repairing damage induced by harmful ultraviolet
exposure. This disruption in the repair process can lead to the build-up of mutations,
resulting in skin cancer. Previous studies have shown that a specific protein of the beta-
HPV genome plays an inhibitory role by disrupting the activation and recruitment of
proteins necessary for DNA repair. However, these studies have solely focused on this
specific protein from the beta-HPV genome. To determine if this specific protein is solely
responsible for the improper repair of DNA damage, we considered the rest of the
proteins that make up part of the beta-HPV genome and determine if these other
proteins play a role in this improper DNA repair process by complimenting or inhibiting
these specific proteins activity. This will help us better understand the role of beta-HPV
in tumorigenesis in a more relevant environment and what directions can be taken for
proper DNA repair.