WAVELENGTH SPECIFIC PATTERNS OF P53 INDUCTION IN HUMAN SKIN FOLLOWINGEXPOSURE TO UV-RADIATION

We report that, in human skin, exposure to equally erythemogenic doses of UVA, UVB, and UVC increases immunocytochemically detected p53 in a wavelength-specific pattern. UVC produced immunostaining confined to the upper epidermis. With UVB, staining was seen throughout the epider mis, whereas with UVA staining predominated in the basal layer. The re sults with UVB and UVC are understandable on the basis of their known differences in penetration, whereas those with UVA are not. This sugge sts that within one cell type the pattern of p53 response to UV radiat ion is wavelength dependent.