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Background: The binding of Ca(2+) to the trimeric troponin complex initiates the process of muscle contraction. Increased Ca(2+) concentrations produce a conformational change in the troponin complex that is transmitted to tropomyosin dimers situated along actin filaments. The altered conformation permits increased interaction between a myosin head and an actin filament which, ultimately, produces a muscle contraction. The troponin complex has protein subunits C, I, and T. Subunit C binds Ca(2+) and subunit I binds to actin and inhibits actin-myosin interaction. Subunit T binds the troponin complex to the tropomyosin complex and is also required for Ca(2+)-mediated activation of actomyosin ATPase activity. There are 3 different troponin T genes that encode tissue-specific isoforms of subunit T for fast skeletal-, slow skeletal-, and cardiac-muscle. This gene encodes fast skeletal troponin T protein; als