Back to square one: what do we know about the functions of muscle LIM protein in the heart?

Abstract

Muscle LIM Protein (MLP) is small, just 198 amino acid long protein, which is specifically expressed in slow skeletal muscle and cardiac tissues. This article will focus on the cardiac functions of MLP: the current knowledge about localisation data, binding partners and animal models for the protein will be summarised, and the role of MLP in maintaining a healthy heart be discussed. This review will furthermore attempt to identify gaps in our knowledge-and hence future research potential-with a special focus on MLP's role in cardiac mechano-signalling.