Loss of Cx43 does not fully disrupt all gap junctions or the integrity of the tissue. (A) Immunofluorescence staining of basal layer from K14-CreER; Cx43^+/+ and K14-CreER; Cx43^fl/fl mice 5 d after tamoxifen induction. Cx43 in green and DAPI (nuclei) in magenta. Scale bar: 25 µm. (B) Immunofluorescence staining of epidermal basal stem cell layer from K14-CreER; Cx43^+/+ and K14-CreER; Cx43^fl/fl mice 5 d after tamoxifen induction, with staining for Cx31 in green and Hoechst marking nuclei in magenta. Scale bar: 25 µm. (C) Gap junctions within the epidermal basal layer of K14-CreER; Cx43^+/+ and K14-CreER; Cx43^fl/fl mice 5 d after tamoxifen induction imaged by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Inset shows a higher magnification view of gap junctions (orange arrowheads).