In the present study, microarray profiling analyses identified a total of 294 differentially-expressed mRNAs in CF and normal rat hearts, most of which were enriched in TGFβ signaling pathway and the extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction (Itga11, Col2a1, Tnr, Thbs4, Thbs1, Sv2c, Comp). The gene discussed is THBS4; the disease is cystic fibrosis.