Vinculin (VCL) is a cytoskeletal protein that is closely related to both cell-matrix interactions and cell-cell junctions. VCL is a membrane-cytoskeletal protein in focal adhesion plaques that is involved in linkage of integrin adhesion molecules to the actin cytoskeleton. The protein contains an acidic N-terminal domain and a basic C-terminal domain separated by a proline-rich middle segment. This protein has multi-ligand properties and has been found to interact with a number of microfilament associated proteins, such as talin, a-actinin, and paxillin, which reportedly bind to either the head or tail domains of vinculin.