Adaptive response of the skin to UVB damage: role of the p53 protein.

Different adaptation mechanisms like heat shock response, cell cycle arrest and DNA repair, melanin pigmentation and thickening of the epidermis are present in the human skin to protect against the adverse effects of solar UV irradiation. When DNA damage is beyond repair, cells undergo apoptosis to prevent their replication. We discuss the current knowledge on these different adaptation mechanisms to UVB damage, the most energetic fraction of solar UV that reaches the skin. As p53 protein, the guardian of the genome, plays a key role in protective response to genotoxic damage, its role in this adaptive response of the skin to UV will be further discussed.