Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation on human skin can lead to mutations in DNA, photoaging, suppression of the immune system, and other damage up to skin cancer (melanoma, basal cell, and squamous cell carcinoma). We reviewed the state of knowledge of the damaging action of UVB and UVA on DNA, and also the mechanisms of DNA repair with the participation of the DNA-photolyase enzyme or of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) system. In the course of evolution, most mammals lost the possibility of DNA photoreparation due to the disappearance of DNA photolyase genes, but they retained closely related cryptochromes that regulate the transcription of the NER system enzymes. We analyze the published relationships between DNA photolyases/cryptochromes and carcinogenesis, as well as their possible role in the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by UV radiation.
Keywords: DNA repair; DNA-photolyase; ROS; cancer; cryptochrome; molecular evolution; ultraviolet.