Biologically Active Substance
tetraspanins
Subclass of:
Membrane Proteins
Definitions related to tetraspanins:
  • Cell surface proteins that span the membrane four times and are found on many different cell types in many organisms; form cell surface complexes with other molecules participating in cell adhesion, either to the extracellular matrix (ECM) or to other cells, and with molecules required for signaling; also called tetraspans or the transmembrane 4 superfamily (TM4SF).
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • A large superfamily of cell surface membrane proteins characterized by their four transmembrane domains. They play a role in a variety of processes such as cellular adhesion and motility. They may be involved in the organization of cell surface MEMBRANE MICRODOMAINS that regulate the activation of LEUKOCYTES.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
Try this search on: Farlex, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary, or Wordnik

This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.