Definition

A type of protein found in muscle cells that helps control the interaction between actin and myosin, which are important for muscle contraction.

Example

Tropomyosin plays a crucial role in muscle contraction by regulating the binding of myosin to actin.

Conversation

I was reading about muscle proteins, and I came across something called tropomyosin.

Oh really? What does it do?

It helps regulate the interaction of actin and myosin during muscle contraction, which is pretty fascinating.

That sounds interesting! It's amazing how our bodies work.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Tropomyosin is formed from 'tropo-' (from Greek 'tropos', meaning turn or change) and 'myosin' (from Greek 'mys', meaning muscle). The word refers to a protein that plays a role in muscle contraction and is involved in the regulation of muscle fibers' shape and function.

Memory Tip

Think of 'turning' ('tropo-') in relation to muscle ('myosin') — this helps you remember that tropomyosin is a protein that regulates muscle contraction.

Visually Confused Words