The mitosis-differentiation checkpoint, another guardian of the epidermal genome

Abstract

The role of p53, the original “guardian of the genome”, in skin has remained elusive. We have explored p53 function in human epidermal cells and demonstrated the importance of a mitosis-differentiation checkpoint to suppress potentially precancerous cells. This model places epidermal endoreplication as an antioncogenic mechanism in the face of irreparable genetic alterations.