Thrombospondin-4
THBS4proteinThrombospondin-4 is an ECM protein dysregulated in atherosclerotic plaque progression and fibrous-cap remodeling.
Pathway placement
Cascade stepFibrous-cap degradation & rupture
Confidencemedium
RationaleExtracellular-matrix structural protein; altered in atherosclerotic plaque remodeling.
Also acts inVascular inflammation, Lipid entry/oxidation
Druggability
DruggableYes
Known drugs / candidates0
Small-molecule tractableNo
Antibody tractableYes
EnsemblENSG00000113296
Type I vs non-Type I discrimination
ScoresLow-confidence (proxy)
R — rupture / Type-I33
C — non-Type-I49
A — assay feasibility68
E — evidence strength19
T1DI (composite)5
Specificity differential (R−C)-16
Non-Type-I axis panel
Does this marker also move in each non-Type-I setting? mag 0–3; higher means less Type-I-specific. n/a = no evidence retrieved, which is not the same as no change.
No non-Type-I axis evidence retrieved.
Tier: light (literature co-occurrence proxy — lower confidence). See the discrimination table for all markers.
Assay & specimen
Class-level default (no specific cleared assay)— generic method inferred from analyte class; confirm against a specific product insert before use.
Specimen
Serum or plasma
Collection tube
Serum separator (gold/red-top, SST) · K2/K3-EDTA (lavender-top)
Method / principle
Sandwich immunoassay (ELISA) — research-grade unless a cleared assay exists
Reagent / substrate
Matched anti-target antibody pair (capture + labeled detection)
Platform
ELISA microplate or multiplex (Luminex/MSD)
Turnaround · availability
Send-out / research · Research-grade (no universal clinical assay)
Literature evidence(2)
- Clinically significant novel biomarkers for prediction of first ever myocardial infarction: the Tromsø Study.Circulation. Cardiovascular genetics · 2015 · PMID 25613532 · doi
- Plasma proteome profiling of atherosclerotic disease manifestations reveals elevated levels of the cytoskeletal protein vinculin.Journal of proteomics · 2013 · PMID 24369271 · doi