title: Tenascin expression in endomyocardial biopsy specimens in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: distribution along margin of fibrotic lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the hypothesis that tenascin, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, contributes to fibrotic changes in dilated cardiomyopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The localisation of tenascin in biopsy specimens of the hearts obtained from eight patients with dilated cardiomyopathy was examined using staining by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Perimysium and endomysium. Although positive staining for tenascin was observed in the enlarged perimysium and endomysium in all patients, moderately intense staining was characteristically observed near the replacement fibrotic lesions. In the narrow perimysium and endomysium of the myocardium not containing replacement fibrotic lesions, tenascin was not present, as in the control specimens. (2) Replacement fibrotic lesions. Non-homogeneous positive staining for tenascin was detected in all replacement fibrotic lesions examined. Intense tenascin deposition was observed in the peripheral portion of the replacement fibrotic lesions. The tenascin staining observed in the small replacement fibrotic lesions was more intense than that in the large lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tenascin contributes to the development of the fibrotic changes seen in the dilated cardiomyopathic heart. Its characteristic location, specifically the distribution along the margin of the fibrosis, suggests that fibrotic change is a continuous process in hearts with dilated cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusachi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nogami
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamanishi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kajikawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirohata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000378:metabolism*; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D019063:Tenascin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019063:Tenascin