Syncoilin
Syncoilin is a muscle-specific intermediate filament, first isolated as a binding partner to α-dystrobrevin, as determined by a yeast two-hybrid assay.
Later, a yeast two-hybrid method was used to demonstrate that syncoilin is a binding partner of desmin. These binding partners suggest that syncoilin acts as a mechanical "linker" between the sarcomere Z-disk and the dystrophin-associated protein complex. However, the specific in vivo functions of syncoilin have not yet been determined.
Abnormally high levels of syncoilin have been shown to be a characteristic of neuromuscular wasting diseases such as desminopathy and muscular dystrophy. Therefore, syncoilin is being explored as a promising marker of neuromuscular disease.
