Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
11:48

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: October 9, 2014

The TWIST/Mi2/NuRD protein complex and its essential role in cancer metastasis

Junjiang Fu1, Li Qin, Tao He

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Cell Research
|August 18, 2010
PubMed

Insights

TWIST protein interacts with the Mi2/NuRD complex to drive cancer metastasis. Suppressing these interactions halts cancer cell invasion and spread, offering new therapeutic targets for metastasis.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial for cancer cell invasion and metastasis.
  • TWIST is a key regulator of EMT and metastasis in various cancers.
  • The precise mechanisms of TWIST-mediated gene transcription in metastasis are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying TWIST-mediated gene transcription.
  • To investigate the interaction between TWIST and other protein complexes in cancer metastasis.
  • To identify potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting cancer metastasis.

Main Methods:

  • Purification and characterization of the TWIST protein complex.
  • Co-immunoprecipitation assays to identify interacting proteins.
  • Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by quantitative PCR (ChIP-qPCR) to assess promoter binding.
  • In vitro cell migration and invasion assays.
  • In vivo mouse models of lung metastasis.

Main Results:

  • TWIST interacts with components of the Mi2/nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (Mi2/NuRD) complex, including MTA2, RbAp46, Mi2, and HDAC2.
  • The TWIST-Mi2/NuRD complex is recruited to the E-cadherin promoter, leading to transcriptional repression.
  • Depletion of TWIST complex components significantly suppresses cancer cell migration, invasion, and lung metastasis in mice.

Conclusions:

  • TWIST functions by recruiting the Mi2/NuRD complex to target gene promoters, thereby regulating genes critical for metastasis.
  • The Mi2/NuRD complex plays an essential role in TWIST-driven cancer metastasis.
  • Targeting the TWIST-Mi2/NuRD interaction presents a potential therapeutic strategy for combating cancer metastasis.

More Related Videos

Generation of Organ-conditioned Media and Applications for Studying Organ-specific Influences on Breast Cancer Metastatic Behavior09:44

Generation of Organ-conditioned Media and Applications for Studying Organ-specific Influences on Breast Cancer Metastatic Behavior

Published on: June 13, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Destabilization of Microtubules01:45

Destabilization of Microtubules

The destabilization of microtubules can occur during different stages of the microtubule lifecycle, such as nucleation or elongation. It can take place at either end of the microtubule or in the microtubule lattices as a whole. The lifespan of individual microtubules within a cell varies according to the cell type and stage of the cell cycle. During interphase, the lifespan of the microtubule is about 30 minutes, while during cell division, it is about 15 minutes. In axonal microtubules of...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...