Nuclear tropomyosin and troponin in striated muscle: new roles in a new locale?

Tropomyosin and troponin have well known Ca(2+)-regulatory functions in the striated muscle sarcomere. In this review, we summarize experimental evidence that tropomyosin and troponin are localized, with as yet unidentified functional roles, in the striated muscle cell nucleus. We also apply bioinformatics approaches that predict localization of some tropomyosin and troponin to the nucleus, and that SUMOylation could be a covalent modification that modulates their nuclear localization and function. Further, we provide examples of cardiomyopathy mutations that alter the predicted likelihood of nuclear localization and SUMOylation of tropomyosin. These observations suggest novel mechanisms by which cardiomyopathy mutations in tropomyosin and troponin might alter not only cardiac contractility but also nuclear function.