title: Intermediate filament: structure, function, and applications in cytology.
abstract: Intermediate filament (IF) constitutes an important cytoskeletal component in nearly all the vertebrate cells. IFs are present both in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. They play an important role in providing mechanical strength of the cell and tissue, growth and regeneration, cell survival and apoptosis, and finally cell migration. IFs are also expressed differentially in different body tissues. Therefore, judicious use of IF may provide the diagnosis and confirmation of different malignancies. This is particularly helpful in the diagnosis of metastatic malignant tumor from an unknown primary. Expression of IFs particularly cytokeratin and vimentin is also related to prognosis of tumors. In this review, we have discussed the basic structure, dynamics, distribution of IF in cells, and its role in diagnosis of cytology. Possible prognostic roles of IF are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytopathology and Gynecological Pathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Pranab
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.forename: Jyoti
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Togra
authors.forename: Suvradeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D003893:Desmin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism; D034882:Lamins / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D064231:Nestin / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003893:Desmin; D034882:Lamins; C577484:NES protein, human; D064231:Nestin; D014746:Vimentin; D007633:Keratins
keywords: carcinoma; cytokeratin; cytology; cytoskeleton; diagnosis; intermediate filaments