Syracuse

Simple Summary: Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a very rare recessive disease caused by the incapacity to resolve ultraviolet-induced DNA lesions through Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER). Some XP patients suffer from aggressive skin carcinoma and melanoma at a very early age (<8). Our previous results show that primary XP fibroblasts isolated from healthy, non-photo-exposed skin negatively impact the extracellular matrix and the activation of the innate immune system. Here, we show for the first time that XP group C primary fibroblasts also play a major role in cancer cell invasion ex vivo and in vivo through the overexpression of Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor (HGF/SF) in the absence of genotoxic attacks. Using inhibitors of the activation of the HGF/SF pathway counteracted the effects of XP fibroblasts on the growth of cancer cells, suggesting new perspectives in the care of XP patients.