Background:
Troponin I (TnI), along with troponin T (TnT) and troponin C (TnC), is one of 3 subunits that form the troponin complex of the thin filaments of striated muscle. TnI is the inhibitory subunit; blocking actin-myosin interactions and thereby mediating striated muscle relaxation. The TnI subfamily contains three genes: TnI-skeletal-fast-twitch, TnI-skeletal-slow-twitch, and TnI-cardiac. This gene encodes the TnI-cardiac protein and is exclusively expressed in cardiac muscle tissues. Mutations in this gene cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy type 7 (CMH7) and familial restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM).