Trichothiodystrophy (TTD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by brittle hair and also associated with various systemic symptoms. Approximately half of TTD patients exhibit photosensitivity, resulting from the defect in the nucleotide excision repair. Photosensitive TTD is due to mutations in three genes encoding XPB, XPD and p8/TTDA subunits of the DNA repair/transcription factor TFIIH. Mutations in these subunits disturb either the catalytic and/or the regulatory activity of the two XPB, XPD helicase/ATPases and consequently are defective in both, DNA repair and transcription. Moreover, mutations in any of these three TFIIH subunits also disturb the overall architecture of the TFIIH complex and its ability to transactivate certain nuclear receptor-responsive genes, explaining in part, some of the TTD phenotypes.