Abstract
An extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of multiprotein networks for stable interactions between cells. Thrombospondins (TSPs) are known to exert extracellular matrix interactions, synapse formation, angiogenesis and immune response in vertebrates. A five TSP gene family is divided into two subfamilies on basis of their domain architecture. Until recently, exploitation of diverse TSP genes in teleost has been still limitedly exemplified. Therefore, we report the cDNA structures and expression profiles for TSPs-1, 2, 3A, 3B, and 4B of chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta. In conjunctional with bioinformatics analysis, the diverse domain structures of TSP genes are identified. In addition, the major domain, repeat and motif of TSP isoforms of chum salmon were aligned with those of other salmonid fishes.