Type XVII Collagen Interacts with the aPKC‐PAR Complex and Maintains Epidermal Cell Polarity

Investigators uncovered COL17 as a binding partner of the aPKC‐PAR complex, which is a key regulating factor of cell polarity. Immunoprecipitation‐immunoblot assay and protein‐protein binding assay revealed that COL17 interacts with aPKC and PAR3. Type XVII collagen (COL17) deficiency or epidermis‐specific aPKCλ deletion destabilized PAR3 distribution in the epidermis, while aPKCζ knockout did not.