DES and familial dilated cardiomyopathy: In addition, mutations in several genes (VCL,DSP,DSG2, DES) encoding ICD proteins have been associated with DCM and several knockout mouse models of adherens junction and desmosomal proteins develop DCM (Bang et al., 2022; Hirschy et al., 2010; Kostetskii et al., 2005; Li et al., 2012; Norgett et al., 2000; Sheikh et al., 2006; Zemljic-Harpf et al., 2007).