Desmin is a muscle-specific class III intermediate filament. Homopolymers of this protein form a stable intracytoplasmic filamentous network connecting myofibrils to each other and to the plasma membrane. Mutations in this gene are associated with desmin-related myopathy, a familial cardiac and skeletal myopathy (CSM), and with distal myopathies Synonyms: Desmin, DES, CSM1, CSM2, CMD1I, FLJ12025, FLJ39719, FLJ41013, FLJ41793.