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Published on: June 13, 2014
The adhesion modulating properties of tenascin-W
Florence Brellier1, Enrico Martina, Matthias Chiquet
1Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland.
Tenascin-W inhibits cell spreading in vitro, similar to Tenascin-C. However, tenascin-W does not compensate for the absence of tenascin-C during wound healing in knockout mice.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Extracellular Matrix Research
Background:
- Tenascin proteins are extracellular matrix glycoproteins regulating cell behavior.
- Tenascin-C, -R, and -X exhibit anti-adhesive properties.
- Tenascin-W is a recently characterized tenascin with unknown functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cell adhesion modulating properties of tenascin-W.
- To determine if tenascin-W can compensate for tenascin-C during wound healing in tenascin-C knockout mice.
Main Methods:
- Culturing C2C12 myoblasts and mouse embryo fibroblasts on fibronectin, tenascin-W, or combinations thereof.
- Observing cell morphology, spreading, and focal adhesion complex formation.
- Analyzing tenascin-W and tenascin-X expression in tenascin-C knockout mice during wound healing.
Main Results:
- Tenascin-W inhibited C2C12 cell spreading, stress fiber formation, and focal adhesion complex development, inducing a stellate morphology.
- Tenascin-W also inhibited mouse embryo fibroblast spreading on fibronectin.
- Tenascin-W was expressed in dermal fibroblasts of tenascin-C knockout mice but not wild-type mice.
- Neither tenascin-W nor tenascin-X were upregulated in the wounds of tenascin-C knockout mice.
Conclusions:
- Tenascin-W possesses in vitro anti-adhesive properties, inhibiting cell spreading.
- Tenascin-W is upregulated in specific cell types lacking tenascin-C.
- Tenascin-W and tenascin-X do not appear to compensate for the loss of tenascin-C during epidermal wound healing.
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