Fig. 1. Expression of microRNA 203 (miR-203) in the hind paw skin before and after incision. (A ) Level of miR-203 was significantly down-regulated in the whole hind paw skin samples collected after incision. (B ) In situ  hybridization with oligonucleotide probes specific to miR-203 in normal mouse hind paw skin. These images demonstrate that miR-203 (purple) was localized in the epidermis, especially in the suprabasal layer. Magnification ×100 (left) and ×400 (right). (C ) Level of miR-203 in the epidermis collected by laser capture microdissection was significantly reduced at 24 h after incision. Values are displayed as the mean ± SEM, n = 6, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, or ***P < 0.001 versus  0 h just before incision. miR-203 = microRNA 203; U6 = internal control small nuclear RNA.