This gene encodes a member of the tropomyosin family of actin-binding proteins involved in the contractile system of striated and smooth muscles and the cytoskeleton of non-muscle cells. Tropomyosins are dimers of coiled-coil proteins that polymerize end-to-end along the major groove in most actin filaments. They provide stability to the filaments and regulate access of other actin-binding proteins. In muscle cells, they regulate muscle contraction by controlling the binding of myosin heads to the actin filament. Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2009]
Function:
Binds to actin filaments in muscle and non-muscle cells. Plays a central role, in association with the troponin complex, in the calcium dependent regulation of vertebrate striated muscle contraction. Smooth muscle contraction is regulated by interaction with caldesmon. In non-muscle cells is implicated in stabilizing cytoskeleton actin filaments. Binds calcium.
Subcellular Location:
Cytoplasm; cytoskeleton.
Tissue Specificity:
Detected in cardiac tissue and platelets, the form found in cardiac tissue is a higher molecular weight than the form found in platelets. Expressed at higher levels in the platelets of hypertensive patients with cardiac hypertrophy than in the platelets of hypertensive patients without cardiac hypertrophy (at protein level).
Similarity:
Belongs to the tropomyosin family.
SWISS:
P67936
Gene ID:
7171
Database links:
Entrez Gene: 7171 Human
Omim: 600317 Human
SwissProt: P67936 Human
Unigene: 631618 Human
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