Vinculin (VCL) and its muscle isoform metavinculin encode a cytoskeletal protein which connects actin microfilaments to the intercalated disk and membrane costameres in the heart, and was identified as a susceptible gene for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)17, 18, 19. This evidence concerns the gene VCL and familial dilated cardiomyopathy.