Vinculin is a cytoskeletal protein associated with cell-cell and cell-matrix junctions, where it is thought to function as one of several interacting proteins involved in anchoring F-actin to the membrane. Defects in vinculin are the cause of cardiomyopathy dilated type 1W, a disorder characterized by ventricular dilation and impaired systolic function, resulting in congestive heart failure and arrhythmia [taken from NCBI Entrez Gene (GeneID: 7414)].