Enhanced expression of neural cell adhesion molecules and tenascin (cytotactin) during wound healing.

Both neural cell adhesion molecules (N-CAM) and tenascin (cytotactin) are important in embryonic morphogenesis but their expression is reduced greatly in adults. This study examined whether they are induced during wound healing. The spatial and temporal expression patterns of these two and other adhesion molecules in the healing of skin, cartilage, and tendon were compared. Neural cell adhesion molecules, tenascin, and fibronectin are induced in the granulation tissue but the order of prevalence is fibronectin, tenascin, N-CAM. The order of appearance is N-CAM and fibronectin, and then tenascin. The order of disappearance is N-CAM, tenascin, fibronectin. Liver cell adhesion molecules are present in the epidermis undergoing re-epithelization. Explant cultures showed that N-CAM and tenascin are synthesized by wound fibroblasts. These results suggest that N-CAM and tenascin, widely used in embryonic morphogenesis, are induced in a variety of connective tissues during wound healing.