Vimentin is a type III intermediate filament protein predominantly found in mesenchymal cells. In cancer, its expression is frequently upregulated during EMT, a critical step in the metastatic cascade. Vimentin contributes to the increased motility and invasiveness of cancer cells, thus facilitating their spread to distant sites. It is often used as a biomarker for the metastatic potential of tumors and is a target for therapeutic interventions aimed at limiting cancer metastasis.
