Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare, recessively inherited genetic disease characterized by skin cancer proneness and premature aging in photoexposed area. The disease results from defective nucleotide excision repair of ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA lesions. Reconstruction of group C (XP-C) skin in vitro previously suggested that patients' dermal fibroblasts might be involved in promoting skin cancer development, as they elicited microinvasions of both control and XP-C keratinocytes within dermal equivalents. Here we show that in the absence of UV exposure XP-C fibroblasts exhibit aged-like features such as an elongated and dendritic shape. We analysed the repertoire of expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) involved in skin aging and cancer. All XP-C fibroblasts tested in this study overexpressed specifically and significantly MMP1. MMP1 expression was also found increased in the dermis of XP-C skin sections suggesting the active contribution of XP-C mesenchymal cells to skin aging and exacerbated carcinogenesis. Increased MMP1 expression in cultured XP-C fibroblasts resulted from MMP1 mRNA accumulation and enhanced transcriptional activity of the MMP1 gene promoter. Deletion analysis revealed the essential role of AP-1 activation in constitutive MMP1 overexpression in XP-C primary fibroblasts. In parallel, levels of reactive oxygen species and FOSB DNA-binding activity were found increased in XP-C fibroblasts. Altogether, these observations suggest that beyond its role in nucleotide excision repair the XPC protein may be important in cell metabolism and fate in the absence of UV.