Tenascin-C (TNC), a multifunctional matricellular glyco-protein, is highly expressed in the majority of melanoma cell lines and has been implicated in the progression of melanoma. A growing body of evidence has implicated the role of TNC in the process of invasion and metastasis for melanoma. However, the mechanism and individual signaling pathways by which TNC drives melanoma progression have not been illuminated. Herein we provide perspectives from the investigation of TNC in other settings that may hint at the mechanistic role of TNC in this disease.
Keywords: ECM, extracellular Matrix; EGFL, epidermal growth factor-like; FNIII, fibronectin type III; TNC, Tenascin-C; Tenascin-C; invasion; melanoma; survival.