Affinage

THSD7A

Thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing protein 7A · UniProt Q9UPZ6

Length
1657 aa
Mass
185.4 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
38 papers in source corpus 11 papers cited in narrative 12 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 5/5 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

THSD7A is a membrane-associated, N-glycosylated transmembrane protein that regulates cytoskeletal organization, focal adhesion dynamics, and directed cell migration in both endothelial cells and podocytes (PMID:20020485, PMID:22194972). At the leading edge of migrating endothelial cells it co-localizes with αVβ3 integrin and paxillin, and it controls migration and capillary tube formation through a FAK-dependent mechanism that reorganizes vinculin and the actin cytoskeleton; a soluble form released from cells promotes filopodia formation, vessel sprouting, and branching, acting upstream of Notch-dll4 signaling during angiogenesis (PMID:22194972, PMID:27484901). THSD7A drives filopodia formation by activating the Rho GTPase Cdc42 and is trafficked in exosomes. In the kidney, THSD7A is the target autoantigen of membranous nephropathy: autoantibodies bind an immunodominant 28-mer epitope in its N-terminal domain (PMID:31395435), and antibody binding triggers autonomous podocyte injury characterized by proteolytic loss of the slit diaphragm proteins nephrin and NEPH1, actin cytoskeleton disruption, and upregulation of ubiquitin-proteasome and ADAM/cathepsin proteases, with podocyte-specific Thsd7a-knockout mice fully protected from disease (PMID:41746732). This podocytopathy proceeds independently of complement (PMID:41746732, PMID:39086386), while THSD7A immune complexes additionally activate complement exclusively through the alternative pathway (PMID:35874690). Interactome analysis places THSD7A in a complex with integrin α3, linking it to the regulation of podocyte adhesion, cytoskeleton, and membrane signaling (PMID:41746732).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 10 steps
  1. 2010 Medium

    Established THSD7A as a regulator of endothelial migration and cytoskeletal organization, defining its baseline cellular function before any disease association.

    Evidence HUVEC overexpression/knockdown with migration and tube formation assays plus co-localization with αVβ3 integrin and paxillin

    PMID:20020485

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not define the molecular partner mediating focal adhesion localization
    • No in vivo validation in this study
  2. 2011 Medium

    Defined THSD7A as N-glycosylated and membrane-associated with a functional soluble form acting through FAK, connecting it to cytoskeletal reorganization in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo.

    Evidence HEK293T glycosylation assays, HUVEC migration/sprouting assays, zebrafish SIV assay, FAK phosphorylation immunoblot

    PMID:22194972

    Open questions at the time
    • Receptor mediating soluble THSD7A signaling not identified
    • Mechanism of soluble form release unknown
  3. 2011 Medium

    Demonstrated that THSD7A acts as a neural guidance molecule directing endothelial cell migration during embryonic angiogenesis.

    Evidence Morpholino knockdown and in situ hybridization with ISV patterning analysis in zebrafish

    PMID:21520329

    Open questions at the time
    • Morpholino specificity not confirmed with genetic mutant
    • Molecular signaling downstream of guidance unresolved
  4. 2016 Medium

    Placed THSD7A upstream of Notch-dll4 signaling in angiogenic sprouting, integrating it into a defined developmental pathway.

    Evidence Morpholino knockdown in transgenic zebrafish with transcript profiling and phenotypic epistasis comparison

    PMID:27484901

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct biochemical link between THSD7A and Notch components not shown
    • Mechanism connecting motor neuron expression to vascular sprouting unclear
  5. 2018 Medium

    Extended THSD7A function to leukocyte-endothelial interactions by showing it regulates adhesion molecule expression.

    Evidence siRNA knockdown in endothelial cells with monocyte adhesion assay and ICAM/L-selectin/ITGB2 readouts

    PMID:29472232

    Open questions at the time
    • Pathway linking THSD7A to adhesion molecule transcription unknown
    • No in vivo confirmation
  6. 2019 Medium

    Mapped the immunodominant membranous nephropathy autoantibody epitope to an N-terminal 28-mer, providing the molecular basis for autoantibody recognition.

    Evidence Fragment/peptide blotting, bio-layer interferometry, kallikrein cleavage, and homology modelling

    PMID:31395435

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural conformation of the epitope not solved
    • Physiological role of kallikrein cleavage in vivo not established
  7. 2022 Medium

    Determined that THSD7A immune complexes activate complement exclusively through the alternative pathway, refining the effector mechanism of antibody-mediated injury.

    Evidence In vitro complement fixation assays with factor B-, C4-, C1q-depleted sera and Mg-EGTA buffer

    PMID:35874690

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo contribution of alternative pathway not quantified here
    • Trigger initiating alternative pathway on podocyte surface unresolved
  8. 2024 High

    Established THSD7A as causally required for membranous nephropathy and revealed a complement-independent, proteolytic podocytopathy with an integrin α3 partner.

    Evidence Podocyte-specific Thsd7a-KO mice, antibody-transfer MN model, multi-omics, C3-deficient mice, and interactome analysis

    PMID:41746732

    Open questions at the time
    • Protease responsible for nephrin/NEPH1 loss not pinned to a single enzyme
    • Functional consequence of the THSD7A–integrin α3 interaction not directly tested by perturbation
  9. 2024 Medium

    Corroborated complement-independent autonomous podocyte injury, showing antibody binding alone drives cytoskeletal disruption, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.

    Evidence Mouse MN model with cobra venom factor complement depletion and primary podocyte assays with complement inactivation

    PMID:39086386

    Open questions at the time
    • Relative contribution of complement-dependent versus -independent injury in patients unclear
    • Signaling cascade from antibody binding to apoptosis not fully mapped
  10. 2024 Medium

    Identified Cdc42 activation and exosomal trafficking as the mechanism by which THSD7A induces filopodia, unifying its cytoskeletal effects across cell types.

    Evidence Exosome inhibition/rescue, SEV proteomics, purified protein add-back, and Cdc42 activity assays (preprint)

    Open questions at the time
    • Preprint not yet peer-reviewed
    • Receptor coupling THSD7A to Cdc42 activation unidentified
    • Relevance of exosomal THSD7A to renal disease not tested

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How THSD7A signaling through integrin α3, FAK, and Cdc42 mechanistically connects autoantibody binding to slit diaphragm protein loss, and which protease executes nephrin/NEPH1 degradation, remain unresolved.
  • No single executor protease confirmed
  • No structural model of the THSD7A ectodomain or its complexes
  • Receptor/coreceptor for soluble and exosomal THSD7A unknown

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0008092 cytoskeletal protein binding 2 GO:0098772 molecular function regulator activity 2
Localization
GO:0005856 cytoskeleton 2 GO:0005886 plasma membrane 2 GO:0031410 cytoplasmic vesicle 1
Pathway
R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 2 R-HSA-1643685 Disease 2 R-HSA-168256 Immune System 2

Evidence

Reading pass · 12 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2010 THSD7A is expressed at the leading edge of migrating HUVECs and co-localizes with αVβ3 integrin and paxillin; overexpression of a THSD7A C-terminal fragment inhibited HUVEC migration and tube formation, while suppression enhanced migration and tube formation, and the distribution was dispersed from focal adhesions after actin cytoskeleton disruption, implicating THSD7A in cytoskeletal organization. HUVEC overexpression/knockdown with migration and tube formation assays, immunolocalization with αVβ3 integrin and paxillin, actin disruption experiments Journal of cellular physiology Medium 20020485
2011 Full-length THSD7A is membrane-associated and N-glycosylated; a soluble form is released into culture medium. Soluble THSD7A promotes HUVEC migration, tube formation, filopodia formation, and vessel branching in zebrafish SIV assays. It increases FAK phosphorylation and alters vinculin distribution, indicating regulation of cytoskeletal reorganization via a FAK-dependent mechanism. HEK293T overexpression, glycosylation assays, HUVEC migration/tube formation/sprouting assays, zebrafish SIV assay, FAK phosphorylation immunoblot, vinculin localization PloS one Medium 22194972
2011 Zebrafish Thsd7a is expressed along the ventral neural tube at sites correlating with angiogenic intersegmental vessel (ISV) growth paths; morpholino knockdown of Thsd7a causes lateral deviation of angiogenic endothelial cells and aberrant ISV patterning, establishing Thsd7a as a neural guidance molecule required for directed EC migration during embryonic angiogenesis. Morpholino knockdown in zebrafish, in situ hybridization, ISV patterning analysis Developmental dynamics Medium 21520329
2016 Zebrafish thsd7a is expressed specifically in primary motor neurons; knockdown disrupts primary motor neuron formation and ISV sprouting. Thsd7a morphants phenocopy loss of Notch-dll4 signaling, and transcript profiling showed downregulation of notch1b and its downstream targets vegfr2/3 and nrarpb, placing Thsd7a upstream of Notch-dll4 signaling in angiogenic sprouting. Morpholino knockdown in Tg(kdr:EGFP/mnx1:TagRFP) double transgenic zebrafish, transcript profiling, phenotypic comparison with Notch-dll4 loss Journal of biomedical science Medium 27484901
2018 THSD7A knockdown in endothelial cells attenuates monocyte adhesion by decreasing expression of ICAM, L-selectin, and ITGB2, demonstrating a functional role for THSD7A in regulating monocyte-endothelial adhesion molecules. siRNA knockdown in endothelial cells, monocyte adhesion assay, ICAM/L-selectin/ITGB2 expression analysis Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology Medium 29472232
2019 The immunodominant B-cell epitope of THSD7A for autoantibodies in membranous nephropathy is located in a 28-mer sequence (T28mer) in the N-terminal domain, with sequence homology to the major PLA2R epitope. Kallikrein protease cleavage within this sequence abolishes antibody reactivity. Cross-reactivity of PLA2R and THSD7A autoantibodies was detected at the peptide but not the protein level. Western blot and slot blot with THSD7A protein fragments and peptides, bio-layer interferometry for real-time interaction, kallikrein protease cleavage, homology modelling, B-cell epitope prediction Journal of autoimmunity Medium 31395435
2022 Immune complexes formed by predominantly IgG4 anti-THSD7A autoantibodies activate complement exclusively via the alternative pathway; C3b fixation is abolished in factor B-depleted sera, partially inhibited in C4-depleted sera, unchanged in C1q-depleted sera, and occurs in Mg-EGTA buffer, demonstrating that the classical and lectin pathways are dispensable while the alternative pathway is necessary and sufficient. In vitro complement fixation assays with factor B-, C4-, C1q-depleted sera and Mg-EGTA buffer; IgG subclass analysis of patient sera Frontiers in immunology Medium 35874690
2024 Anti-THSD7A antibodies in a mouse MN model cause loss of slit diaphragm proteins (nephrin, NEPH1) at the protein level without transcriptional downregulation, induce transcriptomic/proteomic reconfiguration involving disrupted podocyte adhesion, cytoskeletal dynamics, upregulation of ubiquitin-proteasome components, cathepsins, and ADAM proteases. In C3-deficient mice, these proteolytic and SD protein changes persist, indicating complement-independent pathomechanisms. Podocyte-specific Thsd7a-KO mice are completely protected from MN development upon antibody transfer. Interactome analysis identified THSD7A in a complex with integrin α3, linking THSD7A to pathogenic regulation of cytoskeleton, adhesion, and membrane signaling. Podocyte-specific Thsd7a-KO mice, anti-THSD7A antibody transfer MN model, transcriptome and proteome analyses, C3-deficient mice, interactome analysis (Co-IP/MS implied), in vitro primary podocyte exposure to antibody JCI insight High 41746732
2024 THSD7A is carried in exosomes (small extracellular vesicles) from both cancer cells and neurons; add-back of purified THSD7A to endoglin-knockdown cancer cells or exosome-inhibited neurons rescues filopodia defects. THSD7A induces filopodia formation through activation of the Rho GTPase Cdc42. Exosome inhibition and rescue experiments, proteomic analysis of cancer cell-derived SEVs, add-back of purified THSD7A protein, Cdc42 activity assays, filopodia quantification in cancer cells and neurons bioRxivpreprint Medium
2016 VEGF-A upregulates THSD7A expression in cultured endothelial cells, particularly under T-helper type 2-prone conditions, suggesting VEGF-A as a transcriptional regulator of THSD7A outside the kidney relevant to MN pathogenesis. In vitro VEGF-A stimulation of cultured endothelial cells with measurement of THSD7A expression; immunohistochemistry of ALHE tumor tissue American journal of kidney diseases Low 30554801
2022 Inhibition of super-enhancers reduces THSD7A expression in podocytes, and ERK inhibition enhances THSD7A expression, indicating that THSD7A transcription is regulated by super-enhancer activity and ERK signaling in podocytes. Super-enhancer inhibitor treatment and ERK inhibitor treatment in cultured podocytes with THSD7A expression quantification Cell biochemistry and function Low 35670653
2024 In a mouse model of THSD7A-associated MN, complement depletion with cobra venom factor only partially attenuated proteinuria and glomerular injury; anti-THSD7A antibody exposure in primary podocytes caused actin cytoskeleton disruption, podocyte hypermobility, oxidative stress, and apoptosis even after complement inactivation, establishing complement-independent autonomous podocyte injury as a pathomechanism. Mouse MN model with cobra venom factor complement depletion, in vitro primary podocyte exposure to anti-THSD7A antibody with complement inactivation, actin cytoskeleton imaging, oxidative stress and apoptosis assays Frontiers in pharmacology Medium 39086386

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 38 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2017 PLA2R and THSD7A: Disparate Paths to the Same Disease? Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 75 28674044
2016 THSD7A staining of membranous glomerulopathy in clinical practice reveals cases with dual autoantibody positivity. Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc 75 26847174
2011 Soluble THSD7A is an N-glycoprotein that promotes endothelial cell migration and tube formation in angiogenesis. PloS one 74 22194972
2010 Thrombospondin type I domain containing 7A (THSD7A) mediates endothelial cell migration and tube formation. Journal of cellular physiology 71 20020485
2017 THSD7A expression in human cancer. Genes, chromosomes & cancer 48 28035718
2011 Zebrafish Thsd7a is a neural protein required for angiogenic patterning during development. Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 34 21520329
2017 Tissue staining for THSD7A in glomeruli correlates with serum antibodies in primary membranous nephropathy: a clinicopathological study. Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc 32 29243738
2018 Genome-Wide Association and Functional Studies Identify SCML4 and THSD7A as Novel Susceptibility Genes for Coronary Artery Disease. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 28 29472232
2021 Case Report: THSD7A-Positive Membranous Nephropathy Caused by Tislelizumab in a Lung Cancer Patient. Frontiers in immunology 26 34040602
2019 Expression of THSD7A in neoplasm tissues and its relationship with proteinuria. BMC nephrology 25 31443644
2021 A Novel Insight into the Role of PLA2R and THSD7A in Membranous Nephropathy. Journal of immunology research 22 34337081
2019 Autoantigens PLA2R and THSD7A in membranous nephropathy share a common epitope motif in the N-terminal domain. Journal of autoimmunity 22 31395435
2016 Motor neuron-derived Thsd7a is essential for zebrafish vascular development via the Notch-dll4 signaling pathway. Journal of biomedical science 21 27484901
2022 The Alternative Pathway Is Necessary and Sufficient for Complement Activation by Anti-THSD7A Autoantibodies, Which Are Predominantly IgG4 in Membranous Nephropathy. Frontiers in immunology 19 35874690
2017 THSD7A-associated membranous nephropathy in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1. European journal of medical genetics 18 29079545
2019 Treatment of Membranous Nephropathy in Patients With THSD7A Antibodies Using Immunoadsorption. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 17 31451329
2018 VEGF-A Links Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia With Eosinophilia (ALHE) to THSD7A Membranous Nephropathy: A Report of 2 Cases. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 17 30554801
2015 A novel gene THSD7A is associated with obesity. International journal of obesity (2005) 14 26238973
2020 Upregulated LncZBTB39 in pre-eclampsia and its effects on trophoblast invasion and migration via antagonizing the inhibition of miR-210 on THSD7A expression. European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology 12 32222649
2020 Renal expression of PLA2R, THSD7A, and IgG4 in patients with membranous nephropathy and correlation with clinical findings. International journal of clinical practice 11 33249733
2024 THSD7A-associated membranous nephropathy involves both complement-mediated and autonomous podocyte injury. Frontiers in pharmacology 10 39086386
2020 Meta-Analysis of the Diagnostic Efficiency of THSD7A-AB for the Diagnosis of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy. Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) 10 33163223
2022 The Role of Anti-PLA2R and Anti-THSD7A Antibodies in the Pathogenesis and Diagnostics of Primary Membranous Nephropathy: A Review of Current Knowledge for Clinical Practice. International journal of environmental research and public health 9 35564696
2023 THSD7A Positivity Is Associated with High Expression of FAK in Prostate Cancer. Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) 7 36673031
2023 THSD7A as a Promising Biomarker for Membranous Nephrosis. Molecular biotechnology 6 37884765
2021 Characterization of THSD7A-antibodies not binding to glomerular THSD7A in a patient with diabetes mellitus but no membranous nephropathy. Scientific reports 6 34376704
2021 Correlation Between THSD7A Expression and Tumor Characteristics of Azoxymethane-Induced Colon Cancer Model in Rats. The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology 5 34876395
2024 Clinical Features and Pathology of PLA2R and THSD7A-Associated Membranous Nephropathy: A Single-Center Study from China. ImmunoTargets and therapy 3 39081263
2023 Histological transition from minimal change disease to THSD7A-associated membranous nephropathy in a patient receiving long-term steroid treatment: A case report. Medicine 3 37832087
2020 Anti-PLA2R and anti-THSD7A as Diagnostic Serological Markers of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy: A Single Centre Study. The Egyptian journal of immunology 3 33548972
2019 Membranous nephropathy associated with thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A (THSD7A) in an adult woman with eosinophilia. CEN case reports 3 31705303
2021 Diagnostic performance of glomerular PLA2R and THSD7A antibodies in biopsy confirmed primary membranous nephropathy in South Africans. BMC nephrology 2 33413188
2026 Functional characterization of podocyte-expressed THSD7A in experimental membranous nephropathy. JCI insight 1 41746732
2023 Thrombospondin Type 1 Domain-Containing 7A (THSD7A)-Associated Membranous Nephropathy Leading to Metastatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma. Cureus 1 36968937
2023 Down-Regulation of miRNA-1303 Promotes the Angiogenesis of HUVECs via Targeting THSD7A. Molecular biotechnology 1 37847360
2023 [Clinical significance of the determination of antibodies to thrombospondin type 1 containing domain 7A (THSD7A) in membranous nephropathy]. Terapevticheskii arkhiv 1 38158964
2022 Comprehensively characterizing cellular changes and the expression of THSD7A and PLA2R1 under multiple in vitro models of podocyte injury. Cell biochemistry and function 1 35670653
2025 Phenotype-dependent heterogeneity of THSD7A expression in gastric cancer tissue in a patient with THSD7A-associated membranous nephropathy. CEN case reports 0 40489000

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