AUTHOR=Hendaoui Ismaïl , Lahmar Ahlem , Campo Luca , Mebarki Sihem , Bichet Sandrine , Hess Daniel , Degen Martin , Kchir Nidhameddine , Charrada-Ben Farhat Leila , Hefaiedh Rania , Ruiz Christian , Terracciano Luigi M. , Tucker Richard P. , Hendaoui Lotfi , Chiquet-Ehrismann Ruth TITLE=Tenascin-W Is a Novel Stromal Marker in Biliary Tract Cancers JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.630139 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2020.630139 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Extrahepatic cancers of the biliary system are typically asymptomatic until after metastasis, which contributes to their poor prognosis. Here we examined intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (n = 8), carcinomas of perihilar bile ducts (n = 7), carcinomas of the gallbladder (n = 11) and hepatic metastasis from carcinomas of the gallbladder (n = 4) for the expression of the extracellular matrix glycoproteins tenascin-C and tenascin-W. Anti-tenascin-C and anti-tenascin-W immunoreactivity was found in all biliary tract tumors examined. Unlike tenascin-C, tenascin-W was not detected in normal hepatobiliary tissue. Tenascin-W was also expressed by the cholangiocarcinoma-derived cell line Huh-28. However, co-culture of Huh-28 cells with immortalized bone marrow-derived stromal cells was necessary for the formation and organization of tenascin-W fibrils in vitro. Our results indicate that tenascin-W may be a novel marker of hepatobiliary tumor stroma, and its absence from many normal tissues suggests that it may be a potential target for biotherapies.