Tenascin-C in tendon regions subjected to compression

Tendon regions subjected almost exclusively to tension differ from regions subjected to high levels of compression as well as tension. Regions not exposed to compression consist primarily of spindle‐shaped fibroblasts surrounded by densely packed longitudinally oriented collagen fibrils formed principally from type‐I collagen. In contrast, regions subjected to compression have a fibrocartilagenous structure and composition: they consist of spherical cells surrounded by a matrix containing hyaline cartilage proteoglycans (aggrecan) and type‐II collagen as well as type‐I collagen. Reducing their adhesion to the matrix may help cells in the latter regions establish and maintain a spherical shape and minimize their deformation when the tissue is subjected to mechanical stress. 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 fibrocartilagenous regions. To test this hypothesis, we compared segments of bovine flexor tendons subjected to repetitive compression (distal) with segments that are not subjected to compression (proximal) to determine whether they differed in tenascin‐C content and expression. RNA and protein analyses showed that tenascin‐C expression was elevated in the distal tendon. Tendon cells from the distal segment expressed more tenascin‐C mRNA than did cells from the proximal segments for as long as 4 days in cell culture, indicating that increased tenascin‐C expression is a relatively stable feature of the distal cells. Moreover, purified tenascin‐C inhibited the attachment of cultured tendon cells to fibronectin. These observations support the hypothesis that tenascin‐C expression is a cellular adaptation to compression that helps establish and maintain fibrocartilagenous regions of tendons by decreasing cell‐matrix adhesion.