thrombospondin

English

Etymology

From thrombin +‎ respond +‎ -in, coined in a 1972 paper by Baenziger et al., named due to its sensitivity to thrombin.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌθɹɒm.bə(ʊ)ˈspɒn.dɪn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌθɹɑm.boʊˈspɑn.dɪn/

Noun

thrombospondin (countable and uncountable, plural thrombospondins)

1. (biochemistry) 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.

Related terms

• spondin
• thrombin

References

• “thrombospondin”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.