Immunohistochemical Study on Tenascin Expression in IgA Nephropathy

ABSTRACT

Glomerulosclerosis is a common outcome in various progressive glomerular diseases, and results from accumulation of extracellular matrices. Depending on the disease progression the extracellular matrices show quantitative and qualitative alterations. Tenascin is a significant extracellular matrix glycoprotein that expresses in normal and pathologic tissue of varying organs including kidney. We performed immunohistochemical staining for tenascin using 30 cases of renal biopsy specimens diagnosed as IgA nephropathy to study the alteration of tenascin expression in IgA nephropathy according to the histologic grading. The results were as follows; 1. The more high histologic grade, the more increase of tenascin was found in the glomerulus. 2. Tenascin was increased in proportion to the mesangial matrix. 3. The staining of tenascin was more intense in glomerular sclerotic area and was increased in proportion to the progression of sclerosis. 4. Cellular crescents showed strong positivity for tenascin. 5. Tenascin was increased in proportion to the degree of interstitial fibrosis in renal cortex. In conclusion, tenascin is an important extracellular matrix component which is significantly increased in both glomerulus and cortical interstitium according to the progress of the disease in IgA nephropathy.