Data from Ribonucleotide Excision Repair Is Essential to Prevent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

The study demonstrates that selective inactivation of ribonucleotide excision repair (RER) in mouse epidermis leads to spontaneous DNA damage, epidermal hyperproliferation, loss of hair follicle stem cells, and hair follicle function. This results in the development of keratinocyte intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive squamous cell carcinoma with complete penetrance, despite a strong type I interferon response and skin inflammation. These findings suggest that impairments in RER-mediated genome maintenance could be a significant factor in promoting tumor development in human cancer.