Parvalbumin (Parvalbumin α) is a 12 kDa member of the parvalbumin family of Ca++binding proteins. In human, it is expressed in intrafusal muscle fibers, plus GABAergic interneurons and cerebellar Purkinje and basket cells. It presumably acts as a Ca++ buffer that shortens the duration of fiber contraction. Human Parvalbumin is 110 amino acids (aa) in length. It contains two EFhand domains (aa 3974 and 78110) that bind calcium. There are three potential isoform variants. One shows an alternate start site at Met33, a second shows a six aa substitution for the Cterminal nine amino acids and a third shows a deletion of Gly99Val100. Human Parvalbumin α is 51% aa identical to human Parvalbumin β and is 87% plus 92% aa identical to mouse and rat Parvalbumin, respectively.
- References to Parvalbumin α