THBS4 and heart disorder: These data are also consistent with the effect of decreased levels of integrins in the heart as predisposing to pathological remodeling32, as well as heart disease observed in cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic mice expressing a secretion incompetent mutant of Thbs4 that were characterized by reduced levels of dystroglycan-sarcoglycan proteins at the sarcolemma20.