thrombospondin

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UK/ˌθɹɒm.bə(ʊ)ˈspɒn.dɪn/US/ˌθɹɑm.boʊˈspɑn.dɪn/

noun

Any of a family of glycoproteins secreted into the extracellular matrix by various types of cell, which play a role in cellular adhesion in processes including thrombocyte aggregation, tumor metastasis, and angiogenesis.

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Meanings

nounthrombospondin (countable and uncountable, plural thrombospondins)

plural thrombospondins

  1. countableuncountablebiochemistryAny of a family of glycoproteins secreted into the extracellular matrix by various types of cell, which play a role in cellular adhesion in processes including thrombocyte aggregation, tumor metastasis, and angiogenesis.

Origin

From thrombin + respond + -in, coined in a 1972 paper by Baenziger et al., named due to its sensitivity to thrombin.https://web.archive.org/web/20060223143336/http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/247/9/2723

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Cite this entry
APA

thrombospondin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrombospondin

MLA

“thrombospondin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrombospondin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thrombospondin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrombospondin.

Source: thrombospondin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.