Expression of vimentin alters cell mechanics, cell-cell adhesion, and gene expression profiles suggesting the induction of a hybrid EMT in human mammary epithelial cells.

ABSTRACT: Vimentin is a Type III intermediate filament (VIF) cytoskeletal protein that regulates the mechanical and migratory behavior of cells. Its expression is considered to be a marker for the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that takes place in tumor metastasis. However, the molecular mechanisms regulated by the expression of vimentin in the EMT remain largely unexplored. We created MCF7 epithelial cell lines expressing vimentin from a cumate-inducible promoter to address this question. When vimentin expression was induced in these cells, extensive cytoplasmic VIF networks were assembled accompanied by changes in the organization of the endogenous keratin intermediate filament networks and disruption of desmosomes. Significant reductions in intercellular forces by the cells expressing

SUBMITTER: Sivagurunathan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9527304 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature