Muscle (skeletal, cardiac and smooth) contraction and non-muscle cell motility play important roles in physiological and pathological processes. Our research is focused on several actin thin filament related proteins: troponin, calponin, nebulin and titin, to study their gene regulation and structure-function relationships. Molecular biology and genetic approaches are used to investigate protein isoform evolution and expression as well as to provide engineered protein constructs for functional characterization. Biochemical, biophysical and immunochemical methods are used in studying protein structure and function. Cell culture systems and transgenic/gene knockout mouse models are developed for cell biological and physiological characterizations.