The sarcoglcyans are a family of five transmembrane proteins (α, β, γ, δ or ε) involved in the protein complex responsible for connecting the muscle fibre cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix, preventing damage the muscle fibre sarcolemma through shearing forces.
Mutations in the α, β, γ or δ genes (not ε) encoding these proteins can lead to the associated limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.
