title: Tenascin-C at a glance.
abstract: Tenascin-C (TNC) is a hexameric, multimodular extracellular matrix protein with several molecular forms that are created through alternative splicing and protein modifications. It is highly conserved amongst vertebrates, and molecular phylogeny indicates that it evolved before fibronectin. Tenascin-C has many extracellular binding partners, including matrix components, soluble factors and pathogens; it also influences cell phenotype directly through interactions with cell surface receptors. Tenascin-C protein synthesis is tightly regulated, with widespread protein distribution in embryonic tissues, but restricted distribution of tenascin-C in adult tissues. Tenascin-C is also expressed de novo during wound healing or in pathological conditions, including chronic inflammation and cancer. First described as a modulator of cell adhesion, tenascin-C also directs a plethora of cell signaling and gene expression programs by shaping mechanical and biochemical cues within the cellular microenvironment. Exploitment of the pathological expression and function of tenascin-C is emerging as a promising strategy to develop new diagnostic, therapeutic and bioengineering tools. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster we provide a succinct and comprehensive overview of the structural and functional features of tenascin-C and its potential roles in developing embryos and under pathological conditions.
authors.affiliation: The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK kim.midwood@kennedy.ox.ac.uk gertraud.orend@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Kim S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Midwood
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Medical Faculty, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiquet
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California at Davis, Davis CA 95616-8643, USA.
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Inserm U1109, The Microenvironmental Niche in Tumorigenesis and Targeted Therapy (MN3T) team, 3 av. Molière, Strasbourg 67200, France kim.midwood@kennedy.ox.ac.uk gertraud.orend@inserm.fr.|Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg 67000, France.|LabEx Medalis, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg 67000, France.|Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), Strasbourg 67000, France.
authors.forename: Gertraud
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2522-1195
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orend
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004194:Disease; D006801:Humans; D011485:Protein Binding; D019063:Tenascin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019063:Tenascin
keywords: Cancer; Chronic inflammation; Extracellular matrix; Matricellular molecule; TNC; Tenascin-C; Tissue repair