Journal article
The role of tenascin-C in adaptation of tendons to compressive loading
Biorheology (Oxford), Vol.40(1-3), pp.321-329
2003
PMID: 12454422
Abstract
Although most tendon regions are subjected primarily to high tensile loads, selected regions, primarily those that directly contact bones that change the direction of the tendon, must withstand high compressive loads as well. Compressed tendon regions differ from regions subjected to primarily tensile loads: they have a fibrocartilaginous structure with spherical cells surrounded by a matrix containing aggrecan and collagen types I and II, in contrast regions not exposed to compression have a fibrous structure with spindle shaped fibroblasts surrounded by a matrix of dense, longitudinally oriented type I collagen fibrils. The spherical shape of cells in fibrocartilagenous regions indicates these cells are more loosely attached to the matrix than their spindle-shaped counterparts in fibrous regions, a feature that may help to minimize cell deformation during tendon compression. We hypothesized that expression of tenascin-C, an anti-adhesive protein, is part of the adaptation of tendon cells to compression that helps establish and maintain fibrocartilaginous regions. To test this hypothesis we compared tenascin-C content and expression in compressed (distal) versus uncompressed (proximal) segments of bovine flexor tendons. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analyses showed that tenascin-C content was increased in the distal tendon where it co-distributed with type II collagen and aggrecan. Tendon cells from the distal segments expressed more tenascin-C than did cells from the proximal segments for up to four days in cell culture, indicating that increased tenascin-C expression is a relatively stable feature of the distal cells. These observations support the hypothesis that tenascin-C expression is a cellular adaptation to compression that helps establish and maintain fibrocartilagenous regions of tendons.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The role of tenascin-C in adaptation of tendons to compressive loading
- Creators
- J A Martin - Iowa City Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Iowa Department of Orthopaedics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USAD MehrP D PardubskyJ A Buckwalter
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Biorheology (Oxford), Vol.40(1-3), pp.321-329
- PMID
- 12454422
- NLM abbreviation
- Biorheology
- ISSN
- 0006-355X
- eISSN
- 1878-5034
- Publisher
- Netherlands
- Grant note
- AR07075-23 / NIAMS NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2003
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics; Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9984040309602771
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