Troponin T, cardiac muscle (TNNT2)

Troponin T, cardiac muscle (encoded by the *TNNT2* gene), is the tropomyosin-binding subunit of the troponin complex located on the thin filament of striated (specifically cardiac) muscle cells. It regulates muscle contraction in response to changes in intracellular calcium concentration by anchoring the troponin complex to tropomyosin and orchestrating calcium-dependent interactions with actin. The *TNNT2* gene product is a 35.9 kDa protein of 298 amino acids, with alternative splicing leading to multiple isoforms. It is a key biomarker for cardiac injury (as cardiac troponin T is released into the bloodstream following myocardial cell damage), and mutations in this protein are associated with inherited cardiomyopathies. While not the direct pharmacological target of most cardiac drugs, its function is central to cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and thus clinically significant in cardiac health and disease.

Other names

Cardiac troponin TcTnTTroponin T type 2Troponin T cardiac isoform

Not targeted for direct pharmacological modulation; mechanisms relate to altered calcium sensitivity or function in response to genetic variants/mutations. Drugs altering cardiac contractility indirectly affect troponin T function by changing calcium dynamics in cardiomyocytes