Xeroderma Pigmentosum

Xeroderma pigmentosum, or XP, is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of DNA repair in which the ability to repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light is deficient. In extreme cases, all exposure to sunlight must be forbidden, no matter how small; as such, individuals with the disease are often colloquially referred to as Children of the Night. Multiple basal cell carcinomas (basaliomas) and other skin malignancies frequently occur at a young age in those with XP. In fact, metastatic malignant melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two most common causes of death in XP victims. This disease involves both sexes and all races, with an incidence of 1:250,000 and a gene frequency of 1:200. XP is roughly six times more common in Japanese people than in other groups.

The most common defect in xeroderma pigmentosum is an autosomal recessive genetic defect in which nucleotide excision repair (NER) enzymes are mutated, leading to a reduction in or elimination of NER. If left unchecked, damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light can cause mutations in individual cell's DNA. If tumor suppressor genes (e.g. p53) or proto oncogenes are affected, the result may be cancer. Patients with XP are at a high risk for developing skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma, for this reason.

Normally, damage to DNA in epidermal cells occurs during exposure to UV light. The absorption of the high energy light leads to the formation of pyrimidine dimers, namely cyclobutane-pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine-6-4-pyrimidone photoproducts. In a healthy, normal human being, the damage is first excised by endonucleases. DNA polymerase then repairs the missing sequence, and ligase "seals" the transaction. This process is known as nucleotide excision repair.