VIM and cancer: The EMT is orchestrated by TFs such as SNAIL, twist family bHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1), and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), which repress epithelial markers such as CDH1 and induce mesenchymal genes such as vimentin (VIM), fibronectin 1 (FN1) and cadherin 2 (CDH2).216–218 In addition to promoting invasion and dissemination, the EMT endows cancer cells with CSC-like traits, fostering tumor initiation, therapy resistance, and metastatic potential.216,217,219–223