Figure 1.

A schematic of the edge of a wound-healing epidermis. On the left, a keratinocyte in an unwounded region adheres to the laminin-332 (LM332) in the basement membrane (BM) in part through a keratin-associated hemidesmosome (HD) and possibly, an actin-interacting focal contact (FC). The HD is targeted by kinases and proteases (arrow) in cells at the wound margin (middle cell). Cells that leave the BM move over a provisional matrix composed of fibronectin (depicted as fibrils) and laminin-332. Focal contact and hemidesmosomal integrins interact with this matrix and likely regulated the directed migration of the motile keratinocytes. The box indicates the key for α₃β₁ and α₆β₄ integrin heterodimers.