Fig. 4From: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the cytoskeleton in bioengineered systemsCell morphology and mechanics are vimentin dependent. a Epithelial breast cancer cells (MCF-7) that only express keratin are initially compact and rounded. b After microinjection of recombinant vimentin, cells adopt an elongated, mesenchymal-like morphology, with c immunofluorescence staining (vimentin). Reproduced from [93]. d Optical tweezer measurements manipulate embedded tracer particle to probe local cytoskeletal mechanics. e Increasing vimentin expression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts increases mechanical deformability before yielding. Abbreviations denote vimentin knockout (Vim –/–), decellularized vimentin (“ghost cell”) with all other cellular components removed, wildtype (WT), and vimentin overexpression (OverE). Reproduced from [94]Back to article page