Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Cancer Lett. 2013 Sep 10;338(1):82-8. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2012.05.008. Epub 2012 May 11.
The epidermis of the skin is a multilayered stratified epithelium whose primary function is to provide a barrier against our external environment. As a result, cells in the epidermis are subject to constant assault from environmental pathogens, many of which can cause deleterious mutations. However, most of these mutations do not lead to skin cancer. One explanation is that most genetic hits are sustained by mature or transit cells with limited proliferative capacity and only stem cells that acquire genetic alterations have the potential to propagate a frank tumor. In this mini-review we will discuss recent studies that provide some of the first genetic evidence to support a stem cell origin for a number of skin cancer types.
皮肤的表皮是一种多层分层的上皮组织，其主要功能是提供抵御外部环境的屏障。因此，表皮细胞不断受到环境病原体的攻击，其中许多病原体可导致有害突变。然而，大多数这些突变不会导致皮肤癌。一种解释是，大多数遗传打击都发生在增殖能力有限的成熟或过渡细胞中，只有获得遗传改变的干细胞才有可能增殖为明显的肿瘤。在这篇迷你综述中，我们将讨论最近的一些研究，这些研究为一些皮肤癌类型的干细胞起源提供了一些初步的遗传证据。
