Troponin T is a vital subunit of troponin. Troponin T is a comma or rod shaped protein with a length of 185-205 ?. Troponin T is positioned in the actin helix groove and is extended along the filament of troponin. Life span of serum troponin T is 120 minutes. N- terminal end of the protein is enriched in negatively charged residues and C- terminal end is enriched with positively charged residues. This uneven distribution of charges in troponin T facilitates its aggregation at physiological salt concentration. In humans, cardiac troponin T exists in four isoforms, out of which three are expressed in the fetus and one isoform is expressed in the adult heart.
Troponin T is a subunit of troponin, which facilitates binding of troponin to tropomyosin. It also plays a crucial role in muscle contraction. Cardiac troponin T acts as a potential marker for the detection of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Apart from facilitating binding of troponin components to the actin-tropomyosin filament, it is has an essential role in the regulation of actomyosin ATPase activity. Cardiac troponin T gene mutation leads to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
