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Tropomyosin
Tropomyosins (Tm) belong to a family of actin-binding proteins. These proteins play a critical role in regulating the function of actin filaments in both muscle and nonmuscle cells. This protein was originally discovered as a structural component of the skeletal muscle contractile apparatus. As such, early research into actin and its binding proteins (Tm) focused solely on its role in striated muscle function. These Tm are popularly known as muscle isoforms. Later discoveries found actin filaments were also found in nonmuscle cells and these are referred to as nonmuscle isoforms. Subsequent studies have shown that muscle cells contain two physically distinct populations of Tm; muscle isoforms, being involved in the contractile process and nonmuscle isoforms which are physically distinct and involved in other cellular functions.