Control of skin cancer by the circadian rhythm
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The main cause of this cancer is DNA damage induced by the UV component of sunlight. In humans and mice, UV damage is removed by the nucleotide excision repair system. Here, we report that a rate-limiting subunit of excision repair, the xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) protein, and the excision repair rate exhibit daily rhythmicity in mouse skin, with a minimum in the morning and a maximum in the afternoon/evening. In parallel with the rhythmicity of repair rate, we find that mice exposed to UV radiation (UVR) at 4:00 AM display a decreased latency and about a fivefold increased multiplicity of skin cancer (invasive squamous cell carcinoma) than mice exposed to UVR at 4:00 PM. We conclude that time of day of exposure to UVR is a contributing factor to its carcinogenicity in mice, and possibly in humans.
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: DNA Excision Repair and DNA Damage Checkpoints, ROLE OF CRYPTOCHROME IN THE CIRCADIAN CLOCK AND DNA DAMAGE RESPONSES, The System of Response to DNA Damage Suppresses Environmental Melanomagenesis, G342085443, STRUCTURE/FUNCTION OF DNA PHOTOLYASE, G694257262, G7923320676, G9000008043, G9000020968, G9000031568, UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility
OpenAlex ID: W2139560874