Vimentin is a component of a complex that binds to the 5'-UTR of human heme-regulated eIF2α kinase mRNA and regulates its translation.

The human heme-regulated eIF2α kinase, also called the human heme-regulated inhibitor (hHRI) is significantly up-regulated particularly at the level of translation during stress. In this report we show that during lead-stress, the regulation of hHRI mRNA translation is mediated through its 5'-untranslated region (UTR) that interacts with specific trans-acting factors. Further, vimentin has been identified as one of the trans-acting factors that contribute to this regulation.