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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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TSPAN4
tetraspanin 4
Chromosome 11 · 11p15.5
NCBI Gene: 7106Ensembl: ENSG00000214063.12HGNC: HGNC:11859UniProt: A8MVV6
30PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
antigen bindingintegrin bindingprotein bindingprotein-containing complex assemblyAbnormality of the skeletal systemsmoking initiationopen-angle glaucomaulcerative colitis
✦AI Summary

TSPAN4 (tetraspanin 4) is a transmembrane protein that serves as a key regulator of migrasome formation, specialized cellular organelles that develop on retraction fibers of migrating cells 1. The protein functions by assembling tetraspanin- and cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains into micron-scale macrodomains that swell into migrasomes, with tetraspanins and cholesterol being both necessary and sufficient for this process 1. Mechanistically, TSPAN4 acts as a membrane curvature sensor and contributes to migrasome structural stability through elevated membrane stiffness of enriched macrodomains 1. In disease contexts, TSPAN4 plays significant roles in cancer progression, where it promotes tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastasis across multiple cancer types including hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer 234. TSPAN4-positive migrasomes facilitate intercellular communication by releasing signaling molecules and extracellular matrix proteins like PAK4 and LAMA4, and contribute to immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments 35. Additionally, TSPAN4 is implicated in age-related pathologies, where senescent border-associated macrophages produce migrasomes that induce paracrine senescence in microglia, contributing to cognitive aging 6.

Sources cited
1
TSPAN4 is essential for migrasome formation on retraction fibers and acts through assembly of tetraspanin-cholesterol enriched membrane domains
PMID: 31371828
2
TSPAN4 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma invasion and metastasis through migrasome-mediated angiogenesis
PMID: 38840183
3
TSPAN4 regulates glioblastoma migration and invasion by enabling migrasomes to release ECM proteins PAK4 and LAMA4
PMID: 39833606
4
TSPAN4+ fibroblasts contribute to pancreatic cancer metastasis and immune suppression through migrasome-mediated intercellular communication
PMID: 40443671
5
TSPAN4 shapes immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments across multiple cancer types
PMID: 39723210
6
TSPAN4 mediates cognitive aging through migrasome-induced paracrine senescence in brain macrophages and microglia
PMID: 40931113
Disease Associationsⓘ20
Abnormality of the skeletal systemOpen Targets
0.39Weak
smoking initiationOpen Targets
0.24Weak
open-angle glaucomaOpen Targets
0.24Weak
ulcerative colitisOpen Targets
0.23Weak
VertigoOpen Targets
0.20Weak
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.10Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
atherosclerosisOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
systemic sclerodermaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
goutOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Townes-Brocks syndromeOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
brain aneurysmOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
bladder transitional cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
cerebral amyloid angiopathyOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
duodenal ulcerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
adrenal cortex carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
PALS2Shared pathway100%GDF15Protein interaction89%AIMP2Shared pathway50%DET1Shared pathway50%ATPAF1Shared pathway50%CLDN14Shared pathway50%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Ovary
100%
Lung
94%
Heart
45%
Liver
37%
Bone Marrow
18%
Brain
5%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TSPAN4PALS2GDF15AIMP2DET1ATPAF1CLDN14
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt O14817
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.62LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.23 [0.95–1.62]
RankingsWhere TSPAN4 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #12,064of 20,598
    Most Researched30
  • #15,743of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.62
Genes detectedTSPAN4
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
TSPAN4-positive migrasome derived from retinal pigmented epithelium cells contributes to the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
PMID: 36494806
J Nanobiotechnology · 2022
1.00
2
Polystyrene Nanoplastics Activate Autophagy and Suppress Trophoblast Cell Migration/Invasion and Migrasome Formation to Induce Miscarriage.
PMID: 38252510
ACS Nano · 2024
0.90
3
CD151-enriched migrasomes mediate hepatocellular carcinoma invasion by conditioning cancer cells and promoting angiogenesis.
PMID: 38840183
J Exp Clin Cancer Res · 2024
0.80
4
Migrasome formation is mediated by assembly of micron-scale tetraspanin macrodomains.
PMID: 31371828
Nat Cell Biol · 2019
0.70
5
Migrasome regulator TSPAN4 shapes the suppressive tumor immune microenvironment in pan-cancer.
PMID: 39723210
Front Immunol · 2024
0.60