What is "troponin"

n. (context protein medicine English) A complex of three regulatory proteins that is integral to muscle contraction in skeletal and cardiac muscle, or any member of this complex. The level of troponin in the blood is often used as an indicator of heart damage.

400px|thumb|right|Ribbon representation of the human cardiac troponin core complex (52 kDa core) in the calcium-saturated form. Blue = troponin C; green = troponin I; magenta = troponin T. Troponin is a complex of three regulatory proteins ( troponin C, troponin I, and troponin T) that is integral to muscle contraction in skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle, but not smooth muscle.

Discussions of troponin often pertain to its functional characteristics and/or to its usefulness as a diagnostic marker or therapeutic target for various heart disorders in particular as a highly specific marker for myocardial infarction or heart muscle cell death.