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Nature Genetics 40, 1040–1041 (1 September 2008) | doi:10.1038/ng0908-1040

Hedgehog in Wnterland

Dennis Roop & Rune Toftg|[aring]|rd

The skin and associated appendages provide central functions to the organism, including protection against physical, chemical and microbiological insults, temperature regulation, and control of water balance. At the same time, because of its frequent exposure to environmental insults, the skin is the most common site for development of tumors, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and BCC, the latter being the most common cancer in individuals of European ancestry.