# thrombospondin

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌθɹɒm.bə(ʊ)ˈspɒn.dɪn/

## Definitions
1. 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.

## Etymology
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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thrombospondin