<i>K14-cre;Wls^c/c</i> mice display patched hair loss.

<p>(A–B) Hairless patches are present in <i>K14-cre;Wls^c/c</i> and <i>K14-cre;Wls^c/c</i> mice. (C–D) Hair follicles disappear in hairless patches in <i>K14-cre;Wls^c/c</i> mutant skin (the black arrow), whereas hair follicles are maintained in hairy patches but usually decrease in number and are progressively lost with aging. (E–G) K14-cre activity is not evenly distributed in the skin. Black arrows indicate placodes, and red arrows indicate inter-placode basal layers. (H–K) Wls protein is significantly reduced in the surface ectoderm at E13.5 and hairless patches at P17 in <i>K14-cre;Wls^c/c</i> skin, indicating effective deletion of Wls by K14-cre. Abbreviations: epi, epidermis; der, dermis.