Human thrombospondin, a 450-kDa glycoprotein isolated from platelets and endothelial cells, specifically interacts with osteonectin, a protein of 30 kDa isolated from bovine bones and human platelets. Using ELISA, purified osteonectin binds to solid-phase-adsorbed thrombospondin with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.7 nM. Binding of thrombospondin to solid-phase-adsorbed osteonectin was also observed (Kd= 0.86 nM). The interaction of thrombospondin with solid-phase-adsorbed osteonectin was significantly decreased (81% inhibition) when using an excess of fluid-phase osteonectin. Thrombospondin-osteonectin complex formation was calcium-dependent as shown by a 50–80% inhibition in the presence of EDTA. None of the proteins known to interact with thrombospondin (fibrinogen, fibronectin, collagen, plasminogen) had a significant inhibitory effect on thrombospondin-osteonectin complex formation. This selective interaction was confirmed by affinity chromatography. Iodinated osteonectin, previously incubated with purified thrombospondin, specifically bound to an anti-thrombospondin monoclonal antibody (P10) linked to protein-A –Sepharose 4B. Elution of the anti-thrombospondin antibody from protein A allowed the recovery of the thrombospondin-osteonectin complex in the eluate, as judged by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Blotting of purified thrombospondin to osteonectin adsorbed onto nitrocellulose further confirmed complex formation. In addition, when released from thrombin-stimulated platelets, thrombospondin and osteonectin bound to anti-thrombospondin IgG-coated plates indicating that osteonectin was complexed to thrombospondin once the platelet-release reaction has occurred.