Vcl^tm1Eda

Exon E3 was replaced by a neomycin cassette. Homozygous mutant embryos do not express vinculin protein, as assesed by Western blotting. The strategy employed to inactivate the vinculin gene leads to impaired production of vinculin as well as metavinculin. Heterozygotes exhibit a 58% reduction of vinculin and a 63% reduction of its muscle splice variant (metavinculin) protein levels versus wild-type littermates. (J:45781, J:92398)