Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: August 27, 2013
Expression of Fyn kinase modulates EMT in oral cancer cells
Ben Lewin1, Amanda Siu, Cameron Baker
1DDS, Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, 513 Parnassus Ave, S612, Box 0422, San Francisco, CA 94143-0422, USA.
Abstract:
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an aggressive tumor with a poor 5-year survival rate. Oral SCC can undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We previously showed that the epithelial integrin alphavbeta6 complexes with Fyn kinase in oral SCC to promote EMT. Using immunofluorescence microscopy and Western blotting, we evaluated whether the expression of specific markers of EMT were influenced by modulating serum concentration (ie. growth factors). The SCC cultures were grown under contrasting levels of serum. In low serum (1%), Fyn promoted EMT; whereas suppression of Fyn kinase promoted the epithelial phenotype. However, when the SCC cells were grown in 10% serum, activation of Fyn had the reverse effect. Lastly, cell migration was evaluated under low serum conditions (1% FBS). Activation of Fyn promoted SCC cell migration and its suppression thwarted SCC migration toward FN. These results indicate that the activation of Fyn kinase as well as local growth factor concentration modulate EMT in oral SCC.
Related Concept Videos
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
MAPK Signaling Cascades
