Which protein inhibits muscle contraction by binding to troponin?

Study for the NMAT Biology Test. Prepare with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question has hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

The protein that inhibits muscle contraction by binding to troponin is tropomyosin. Tropomyosin is a long, rod-shaped protein that wraps around the actin filaments in muscle fibers. When muscle contraction is not occurring, tropomyosin covers the myosin-binding sites on actin, which prevents myosin from attaching to actin.

Troponin, which is another crucial protein in the muscle contraction process, is a complex of three subunits that bind to tropomyosin, actin, and calcium ions. When calcium ions are present, they bind to troponin, causing a conformational change that moves tropomyosin away from the myosin-binding sites on actin. This exposes these sites and allows muscle contraction to occur. Therefore, tropomyosin plays a vital role in regulating muscle contractions by acting as a blocker of myosin binding to actin in the absence of calcium ions.

In this context, actin is the protein that forms the filamentous structure which myosin binds to during contraction, while myosin itself is the motor protein responsible for muscle contraction, so these do not inhibit the process. The central vacuole, on the other hand, is not involved in muscle physiology, making it unrelated to

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