Vimentin

Vimentin is a type III intermediate fibrin that has multiple functions such as maintaining cell morphology, meditating cell migration, and regulating material transport. Vimentin mainly exists in mesenchymal cells, so it can assist in the diagnosis of mesothelioma, angioendothelioma, fibrosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and other mesenchymal tumors. Moreover, some research found that Vimentin can promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway, so its increased expression is considered as a core feature of EMT, which can degrade E-cadherin to induce cell polarity loss and accelerate cancer cell cytoskeleton reorganization to stimulate metastasis. In summary, Vimentin has become a crucial indicator for the evaluation of tumor malignancy, including thyroid cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. However, some scholars pointed out that the high expression of Vimentin is a hallmark of good prognosis in some patients with ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer, so its prognostic value still needs further research.