This study makes several contributions to the field of lung cancer research, specifically in the context of tobacco-induced carcinogenesis: (1) novel Discovery of the PHLPP1-PTEN Interaction during NNK-induced lung carcinogenesis, which provides new insight into the molecular events that occur early in lung cancer development following tobacco exposure; (2) mechanistic Insights into Tobacco Carcinogenesis: The research provides a novel mechanistic understanding of how NNK affects tumor suppressors, including the role of PP2A-C and c-Jun phosphorylation. This evidence concerns the gene PTEN and lung cancer.