Description
Product Characteristics: Vimentin (57 kDa) is the intermediate filament protein (IFP) of mesenchymal cells. This IFP however often deviates from the tissue-specific and developmentally regulated pattern of expression. Besides its typical expression in most cultured cells, vimentin is also expressed together with several other IFPs during early stages of development. As differentiation proceeds, vimentin is exchanged for the tissue-specific intermediate filament type. Also in cancers, vimentin is often expressed in addition to the tissue-specific IFP.
Target Information: This gene encodes a member of the intermediate filament family. Intermediate filamentents, along with microtubules and actin microfilaments, make up the cytoskeleton. The protein encoded by this gene is responsible for maintaining cell shape, integrity of the cytoplasm, and stabilizing cytoskeletal interactions. It is also involved in the immune response, and controls the transport of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived cholesterol from a lysosome to the site of esterification. It functions as an organizer of a number of critical proteins involved in attachment, migration, and cell signaling. Mutations in this gene causes a dominant, pulverulent cataract.[provided by RefSeq, Jun 2009]