Titin (TTN)

Titin is a large abundant protein of striated muscle. A N-terminal Z-disc region and a C-terminal M-line region bind to the Z-line and M-line of the sarcomere respectively so that a single titin molecule spans half the length of a sarcomere. Titin also contains binding sites for muscle associated proteins so it serves as an adhesion template for the assembly of contractile machinery in muscle cells. It has also been identified as a structural protein for chromosomes. Considerable variability exists in the I-band, the M-line and the Z-disc regions of titin. Variability in the I-band region contributes to the differences in elasticity of different titin isoforms and, therefore, to the differences in elasticity of different muscle types. Of the many titin variants identified, five for which complete transcript information is available are described.