Vimentin (VIM)

Vimentin is a protein subunit of 10nm or intermediate filaments, which are major components of the cytoskeleton in most cell types. Vimentin is the major intemediate filament subunit found in mesenchymal cells, and was first named and characterized in a collaborative study from the labs of German scientists Werner Franke and Klaus Weber (1). The name derives from the Latin "Vimentum", meaning arrays of flexible rods such as in lattices, filigrees and wicker-work, which describes the intermediate filament network quite well. Vimentin is also found in many cell types in tissue culture, most notably fibroblasts, and in developing neuronal and astrocytic precursor cells in the central nervous system. Many cell lines such as Hek293, HeLa, 3T3 and Cos cells contain prominent vimentin networks. Vimentin frequently forms copolymers with other intermediate filament proteins, such as GFAP (in astrocytes, ependymal cells and neural stem cells), with desmin (in muscle and endothelial cells) and neurofilament proteins (in developing neurons). A E151K point mutation in the vimentin gene was shown to be causative of an autosomal dominant pulverulent cataract disease, but so far only in a single patient (2). Vimentin is a major protein of eye lens and cornea, and this mutation renders the molecule unable assemble into normal 10nm filaments. Antibodies to vimentin are useful in studies of stem cells and generally to reveal the filamentous cytoskeleton. The HGNC name for this protein is VIM.\n\nApplications:\nSuitable for use in Immunofluorescence and Western Blot. Other applications not tested.\n\nRecommended Dilution:\nImmunofluorescence: 1:1000\nWestern Blot: 1:10,000 using chemiluminescence.\nOptimal dilutions to be determined by the researcher.\n\nStorage and Stability:\nMay be stored at 4 degrees C for short-term only. Aliquot to avoid repeated freezing and thawing. Store at -20 degrees C. Aliquots are stable for 12 months. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial after thawing and prior to removing the cap.

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SPECIFICATIONS

Catalog Number

031442

Size

100ul

Applications

IF, WB

Hosts

Mouse

Reactivities

Hum, Mouse, Rat, Bov, Prc

Form

Supplied as a liquid in PBS, 10mM sodium azide.

P Type

Mab

Purity

Purified by affinity chromatography.

Isotype

IgG1,k

References

1. Franke, W. W., Schmid, E., Osborn, M. and Weber, K. Different intermediate-sized filaments distinguished by immunofluorescence microscopy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:5034-5038 (1978).\n\n2. Muller, M., Bhattacharya, S. S., Moore, T., Prescott, Q., Wedig, T., Herrmann, H., Magin, T. M. Dominant cataract formation in association with a vimentin assembly disrupting mutation. Hum. Molec. Genet. 18:1052-1057 (2009).

Additional Info

Recognizes Vimentin from human, bovine, porcine, mouse, rat and other mammals. Since vimentin is highly conserved, it is likely that the antibody is effective on other species also.