Fig. 8. 3-integrin deficient hair follicles have both disorganised and prominent F-actin bundles. Cryosections of WT (A,C) and 3-integrin deficient (B,D,E,F) adult skin grafts were analysed by immunofluorescence with rhodamine-conjugated phalloidin. In WT and 3-integrin deficient interfollicular epidermis F-actin was distributed subcortically in all keratinocyte layers (A,B). A similar pattern of F-actin was observed in WT hair follicles (C). In contrast, in many 3-integrin deficient hair follicles F-actin appeared disorganised (D,E) or formed heavy bundles especially at the basal face of the cells (F). Inserts in C, D and F show a high magnification of the selected areas. 11-15 skin grafts per genotype were analysed and the experiment was repeated three times. Over 500 follicles per genotype were analysed. Bar, 10 µm (A,B); 20 µm in (C,D,E).

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