Tenascin-C Is Associated with Cored Amyloid-β Plaques in Alzheimer Disease and Pathology Burdened Cognitively Normal Elderly

Tenascin-C (TN-C) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein linked to inflammatory processes in pathological conditions including Alzheimer disease (AD). We examined the distribution of TN-C immunoreactivity (ir) in relation to amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and vascular Aβ deposits in autopsy brain tissues from 14 patients with clinical and neuropathological AD and 10 aged-matched controls with no cognitive impairment; 5 of the controls had Aβ plaques and 5 did not. TN-C ir was abundant in cortical white matter and subpial cerebral gray matter in all cases, whereas TN-C ir was weak in blood vessels. In all cases with Aβ plaques but not in plaque-free controls, TN-C ir was detected as large (>100 µm in diameter) diffuse extracellular deposits in cortical grey matter. TN-C plaques completely overlapped and surrounded cored Aβ plaques labeled with X-34, a fluorescent derivative of Congo red, and they were associated with reactive astrocytes astrocytes, microglia and phosphorylated tau-containing dystrophic neurites. Diffuse Aβ plaques lacking amyloid cores, reactive glia or dystrophic neurites showed no TN-C ir. In cases with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, TN-C ir in vessel walls did not spread into the surrounding neuropil. These results suggest a role for TN-C in Aβ plaque pathogenesis and its potential as a biomarker and therapy target.