Desmin

Muscle-specific type III intermediate filament essential for proper muscular structure and function. Plays a crucial role in maintaining the structure of sarcomeres, inter-connecting the Z-disks and forming the myofibrils, linking them not only to the sarcolemmal cytoskeleton, but also to the nucleus and mitochondria, thus providing strength for the muscle fiber during activity. In adult striated muscle they form a fibrous network connecting myofibrils to each other and to the plasma membrane from the periphery of the Z-line structures. May act as a sarcomeric microtubule-anchoring protein: specifically associates with detyrosinated tubulin-alpha chains, leading to buckled microtubules and mechanical resistance to contraction. Contributes to the transcriptional regulation of the NKX2-5 gene in cardiac progenitor cells during a short period of cardiomyogenesis and in cardiac side population stem cells in the adult. Plays a role in maintaining an optimal conformation of nebulette (NEB) on heart muscle sarcomeres to bind and recruit cardiac alpha-actin (By similarity).