RAB7A and familial dilated cardiomyopathy: The UM-X7.1 hamster model, which simulates human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), experienced extensive autophagic vacuolar degeneration of cardiomyocytes along with upregulation of Rab7, ubiquitin, and cathepsin D. The disruption of the plasma membrane was compromised in these cardiomyocytes, suggesting that Rab7 may play a role in autophagy-related cell death (62).