Updated project metadata. The objective of this study was to investigate how active dermal connective tissue composition dynamics affect long term protein expression in the epidermis. After surgically removing damaged skin to its full thickness at the site of a deep burn in ten patients, we randomized three adjacent test areas within the wounds to receive either: 1) no dermal component as control, 2) a permanent artificial dermal matrix or 3) a temporary dressing to induce formation of granulation tissue. Each area was then covered with an autologous superficial healty skin transplant as the epidermal indicator. One year later, biopsy samples were taken from each site. The epidermis and dermis were selectively microdissected by laser-capture from cut tissue biopsy sections, and analyzed using untargeted non-labelled quantitative proteomics.