Abstract
Tenascin-X (TNX) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein for which a deficiency results in a recessive form of classical-like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (clEDS), a heritable connective tissue disorder with hyperextensible skin without atrophic scarring, joint hypermobility, and easy bruising. Notably, patients with clEDS also suffer from not only chronic joint pain and chronic myalgia but also neurological abnormalities such as peripheral paresthesia and axonal polyneuropathy with high frequency. By using TNX-deficient (Tnxb−/−) mice, well-known as a model animal of clEDS, we recently showed that Tnxb−/− mice exhibit hypersensitivity to chemical stimuli and the development of mechanical allodynia due to the hypersensitization of myelinated A-fibers and activation of the spinal dorsal horn. Pain also occurs in other types of EDS. First, we review the underlying molecular mechanisms of pain in EDS, especially that in clEDS. In addition, the roles of TNX as a tumor suppressor protein in cancer progression have been reported. Recent in silico large-scale database analyses have shown that TNX is downregulated in various tumor tissues and that high expression of TNX in tumor cells has a good prognosis. We describe what is so far known about TNX as a tumor suppressor protein. Furthermore, some patients with clEDS show delayed wound healing. Tnxb−/− mice also exhibit impairment of epithelial wound healing in corneas. TNX is also involved in liver fibrosis. We address the molecular mechanism for the induction of COL1A1 by the expression of both a peptide derived from the fibrinogen-related domain of TNX and integrin α11.
Introduction
The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) comprise a group of rare heritable connective tissue disorders mainly characterized by a variable degree of joint hypermobility, hyperextensible skin and fragility of connective tissues. Currently, 14 EDS are classified according to typical clinical features, and 20 causal genes that are mainly responsible for collagen and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and maintenance have been identified (). Among the 14 types of EDS, non-collagenous classical-like EDS (clEDS) is the result of tenascin-X (TNX) deficiency with homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in its gene (TNXB) (; ; ). The major clinical features of clEDS are generalized joint hypermobility, hyperextensible velvety skin without atrophic scarring, and easy bruising () (Figure 1A).
FIGURE 1
A causal gene for clEDS, TNXB, was identified serendipitously as an opposite strand gene (OSG) with its 3′ genomic overlap with the steroid 21-hydroxylase gene (CYP21A2) in the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class III region (
TNX is expressed prominently in a variety of tissues including the heart, skin, skeletal muscle, peripheral nerves, ligaments, tendons and the digestive tract, while there are very low expression levels in immune tissues such as the thymus, bone marrow and lymphocytes (
TNX has physiological functions in collagen deposition (
In this review, we focus on the function of TNX in pain related to a characteristic of clEDS as well as in tumor suppression and fibrosis.
Clinical characteristics of TNX-related clEDS
TNX-related clEDS was identified in 56 individuals from 44 families so far (
Pain in clEDS due to TNX deficiency
Pain is a common and severe symptom in patients with various types of EDS (
It has been reported that TNX-related clEDS patients complain of chronic pain including joint pain, myalgia, back pain, abdominal pain, and fatigue (Figure 1A) (
FIGURE 2

Model of pathogenesis for mechanical allodynia in Tnxb−/− mice. Somatosensory information is detected in the primary afferent fibers extending to the skin, which in turn is transmitted to the spinal cord and then to the brain. Unmyelinated C-fibers and lightly myelinated Aδ-fibers conduct noxious and thermal signals, whereas myelinated Aβ-fibers conduct innocuous signals such as touch and pressure (
Additionally, TNX influences neuronal functions in gut tissues including abdominal pain (Figure 1A). Tnxb−/− mice show hypersensitivity of colonic nociceptive afferents and increased sensory neuron sprouting in the mucosa (
TNX with tumor suppressive function
Previously, we demonstrated that Tnxb−/− mice bearing aggressive B16-BL6 melanoma cells exhibit promotion of tumor invasion and metastasis due to upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases Mmp2 and Mmp9 followed by enhanced activities of the MMPs (
In conjunction with a tumor suppressor role of TNX, the expression of TNX was shown to be downregulated in most tumor tissues such as the lung, breast, prostate, colon, stomach, liver, kidney, skin melanoma, and leiomyoma by using in silico large database studies of the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genomic Atlas (TCGA) (
Meanwhile, as an exception, the expression of TNX is upregulated in malignant mesothelioma (
Involvement of TNX in fibrosis and wound healing
Previously, our group revealed that Tnxb−/− mice fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet with high levels of phosphorus and calcium (HFCD) exhibit less fibrotic characteristics in livers than those in wild-type mice, indicating the involvement of TNX in hepatic fibrosis (
According to previous reports, 41% of patients with TNX-deficient clEDS showed delayed wound healing (
Conclusion and perspectives
In this review, we described the molecular mechanisms of pain caused by TNX deficiency as well as by mutation of collagens mimicking the characteristics of EDS, the function of TNX as a tumor suppressor, and the involvement of TNX in fibrosis.
Concerning pain associated with malfunction of the ECM, the contribution of TNX-deficient clEDS and COL5A1 haploinsufficiency-related classical EDS to the development of neuropathic pain has been revealed by using a murine EDS model. Patients with EDS take large amounts of medications such as acetaminophen, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anticonvulsants, antidepressants, opioids, and lidocaine; however, current managements are inadequate (
Concerning tumor progression associated with TNX expression, the increased expression of TNX in malignant mesothelioma is very interesting, despite its expression being downregulated in most tumor tissues.
Finally, we showed that COL1A1 expression was induced by expression of both the 15-aa peptide in the TNX-FBG domain and integrin α11 in hepatic stellate LX-2 cells in vitro (
Statements
Author contributions
EO-A and KM designed and wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Funding
This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number JP17K09045 and Osaka Institute of Technology Research Projects Grants to EO-A and by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP19K08470 and a part of Management Expenses Grants to Shimane University to KM.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Summary
Keywords
tenascin-X, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, clEDS, pain, tumor suppressor, fibrosis
Citation
Okuda-Ashitaka E and Matsumoto K (2023) Tenascin-X as a causal gene for classical-like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Front. Genet. 14:1107787. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1107787
Received
25 November 2022
Accepted
06 March 2023
Published
15 March 2023
Volume
14 - 2023
Edited by
Mahmood Rasool, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Reviewed by
Antonella Polimeni, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
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© 2023 Okuda-Ashitaka and Matsumoto.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Emiko Okuda-Ashitaka, emiko.ashitaka@oit.ac.jp; Ken-ichi Matsumoto, matumoto@med.shimane-u.ac.jp
This article was submitted to Genetics of Common and Rare Diseases, a section of the journal Frontiers in Genetics
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.