- Mesenchymal markers are proteins commonly expressed by mesenchymal cells — cells that are typically spindle-shaped, motile, and found in connective tissues.
- These markers are crucial for identifying and characterizing cells undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process in which epithelial cells lose their polarity and cell–cell adhesion properties and gain migratory and invasive features associated with mesenchymal cells.
- EMT plays vital roles in development, wound healing, fibrosis, and cancer progression.
- Key mesenchymal markers are:
- Vimentin
- N-cadherin (Neural cadherin)
- Fibronectin
- α-Smooth Muscle Actin (α-SMA)
- ZEB1 and ZEB2 (Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox)
- Snail and Slug (SNAI1 and SNAI2)
- Twist1/2
