Laminin 332 is a principal component of the dermal-epidermal basement membrane zone. It is a heterotrimer containing a α3, β3, and γ2 subunit. The α3 subunit is known to bind to both integrin α3β1 and α6β4. Interaction of the laminin α3 domain with integrin α6β4 is known to lead to phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on the β4 endodomain with myriad signaling events thereafter. Likewise, laminin α3 can regulate cell migration and polarity in an integrin dependent manner. Laminin α3’s effect on keratinocyte differentiation, however, is unclear.  To investigate the regulatory role of laminin α3 on keratinocyte signaling, we treated primary human keratinocytes with blocking antibodies specific to the α3 domain of laminin 332.

Transcriptome profiling of laminin α3 inhibited primary keratinocytes reveals the regulatory effect of laminin α3-binding on keratinocyte differentiation