Tenascin-C protein (TNC)

Tenascin-C protein (TNC) is a large, hexameric, and multimodular extracellular matrix glycoprotein encoded by the TNC gene on chromosome 9. It is primarily classified as a matricellular protein, meaning it modulates cell-matrix interactions rather than providing mere structural support. Tenascin-C is mostly absent in healthy adult tissues but is highly expressed during embryogenesis, tissue injury, inflammation, infection, and particularly in the microenvironment of various cancers, such as glioma. Functionally, it regulates cellular proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival, and apoptosis, and remodels the tissue microenvironment partly by interacting with integrins, growth factor receptors, and a broad range of extracellular partners. In pathological contexts, upregulation of TNC is linked to tumor progression, poor clinical outcomes, and altered responses to inflammation and infection. While there are no approved drugs directly targeting TNC, it is widely investigated as a disease biomarker and potential therapeutic target, especially in oncology and regenerative medicine

Other names

cytotactinhexabrachionglial/mesenchymal extracellular matrix protein (GMEM)neuronectinJ1 220/200myotendinous antigenTENA

Not directly targeted by drugs as a classical receptor or enzyme. However, TNC modulates cellular responses via binding to integrins, EGF receptor, Toll-like receptor 4, and interaction with growth factors, affecting cell signaling, immune response, and tissue remodeling