Changes to the intermediate filament (IF) protein, vimentin, were found to promote tumor growth by increasing cancer stemness in an estrogen independent manner. Targeting vimentin and/or the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ‘XIST’ could be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating aggressive breast cancer.
Vimentin is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein normally expressed in cells that develop into connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymphatic tissue (mesenchymal cells). Despite being widely studied, its role in tumor growth and progression remains unexplored.
A team of researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered how a small change in the vimentin protein can make breast cancer more aggressive. By modifying a specific amino acid cysteine to serine residue at position…