A dynamic cell-matrix interaction is crucial for a rapid cellular response to changes in the environment. Appropriate cell behavior in response to the changing wound environment is required for efficient wound closure. However, the way in which wound keratinocytes modify the wound environment to coordinate with such cellular responses remains less studied. We demonstrated that angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) produced by wound keratinocytes coordinates cell-matrix communication. ANGPTL4 interacts with vitronectin and fibronectin in the wound bed, delaying their proteolytic degradation by metalloproteinases. This interaction does not interfere with integrinmatrix protein recognition and directly affects cell-matrix communication by altering the availability of intact matrix proteins. These interactions stimulate integrin-focal adhesion kinase, 14-3-3, and PKC-mediated signaling pathways essential for effective wound healing. The deficiency of ANGPTL4 in mice delays wound re-epithelialization. Further analysis revealed that cell migration was impaired in the ANGPTL4-deficient keratinocytes. Altogether, the findings provide molecular insight into a novel control of wound healing via ANGPTL4-dependent regulation of cell-matrix communication. Given the known role of ANGPTL4 in glucose and lipid homeostasis, it is a prime therapeutic candidate for the treatment of diabetic wounds. It also underscores the importance of cell-matrix communication during angiogenesis and cancer metastasis.Skin repair after an injury proceeds via a finely tuned pattern of integrated biological events aimed at restoration of the epithelial barrier. The inflammatory stage of repair is followed by the proliferation and migration of keratinocytes, a process called re-epithelialization (1). These events are regulated spatiotemporally by several classical growth factors and cytokines, the effects of which have been well documented (2). Less studied are extracellular factors such as matricellular proteins and adipocytokines, both shown to have a profound local impact during wound repair (3, 4). Effective directed cell migration requires constant cellular interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM) 3 in response to the changing wound environment. Although the importance of such cell-matrix communication in wound healing is well recognized, the mechanism that modifies the external wound microenvironment for coordinated keratinocyte behavior remains unclear.Integrins on the cell surface often function as biosensors to constantly interrogate the wound environment and modulate cell responses accordingly. Binding of integrins to their cognate matrix proteins activates intracellular signaling pathways that modulate a broad range of cellular processes, including cell migration (5). Integrin-mediated signaling requires that integrins bind substrate-anchored matrix proteins. This interaction provides mechanical resistance that permits tensional forces to be generated via the actomyosin system (6). In contrast, small soluble matrix protein fragments gene...