The Role of Thrombospondin-2 in Myocardial Fibrosis

Figures

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  Figure 1. Simplified structure diagram of TSP-2. The TSP-2 precursor is processed to form a multi-domain trimeric glycoprotein. The figure shows its primary structure from the N-terminal to the C-terminal. WxxW, Tryptophan - Any amino acid - Any amino acid - Tryptophan; CSVTCG, Cysteine - Serine - Valine - Threonine - Cysteine - Glycine. The figure was constructed with BioRender (https://biorender.com).

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  Figure 2. The regulatory role of TSP-2 in myocardial fibrosis caused by different etiologies. Under physiological conditions, TSP-2 mainly participates in maintaining ECM homeostasis and does not directly induce fibrosis. Its persistent high-level expression may reflect the progression of heart failure; however, in myocardial infarction, the pro-fibrotic effect of TSP-2 may contribute to structural remodeling of the infarcted area and prevent cardiac rupture. The role of TSP-2 in cardiac hypertrophy and aging remains to be further clarified. Solid lines indicate well-established or directly supported regulatory relationships, whereas dashed lines indicate potential or indirect associations based on limited evidence or findings from other tissues. The figure was constructed with BioRender (https://biorender.com).

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  Figure 3. TSP-2 is involved in pathways and signaling networks associated with myocardial fibrosis. Currently, there is no direct evidence demonstrating that TSP-2 directly drives cardiac fibrosis. Based on available cardiac studies and cross-tissue evidence, TSP-2 may indirectly contribute to myocardial fibrosis through mechanisms including ECM deposition, inhibition of angiogenesis, and regulation of pro-fibrotic signaling pathways such as TGF-β signaling. Solid lines indicate well-established or directly supported regulatory relationships, whereas dashed lines indicate potential or indirect associations based on limited evidence or extrapolation from findings in other tissues. The figure was constructed with BioRender (https://biorender.com).