Vinculin is a cytoskeletal protein that plays an important role in the regulation of focal adhesions and embryonic development. Three structural vinculin domains include an amino-terminal head, a short, flexible proline-rich region and a carboxy-terminal tail. In the inactive state, the head and tail domains of vinculin interact to form a closed confirmation. The open and active form of vinculin translocates to focal adhesions where it is thought to be involved in anchoring F-actin to the membrane and regulation of cell migration.