Interestingly, several up‐regulated proteins found here, including VGF and GAP43, pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide (ADCYAP1), Laminin A (LAMA), Nestin (NES), and TNC, have previously been shown to be up‐regulated in peripheral nerve injury (Costigan et al., 2002; Kim et al., 2009; Matsumura et al., 2010; Valder et al., 2003) and thus provide a molecular basis of the long‐described electron microscopy finding of nerve injury present within PNI (Bockman et al., 1994). This evidence concerns the gene TNC and peripheral nerve injury.