Tenascin X Proteins and Enzymes

Tenascin is a high molecular weight, multifunctional, extracellular matrix glycoprotein expressed in association with mesenchymal-epithelial interactions during development and in the neovasculature and stroma of undifferentiated tumors (Erickson and Bourdon 1989).It has been described under a variety of names: cytotactin, hexabrachion protein, J1, myotendinous antigen (MI) and glioma mesenchymal extracellular matrix (GMEM).The tenascin molecule is a disulfide-linked hexamer.The expression of tenascin is associated with development and growth, both normal and pathological, whereas the distribution in normal adult tissue is restricted.