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Updated: May 30, 2026

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: August 27, 2013
Prostate-Derived ETS Factor Regulates Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition through Both SLUG-Dependent and
Victoria J Findlay1, David P Turner, John S Yordy
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Abstract:
The 5-year survival rate is very low when breast cancer becomes metastatic. The metastatic process is governed by a network of molecules of which SLUG is known to play a major role as a regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Prostate-derived ETS factor (PDEF) has been proposed as a tumor suppressor, possibly through inhibition of invasion and metastasis; therefore, understanding the mechanism of PDEF regulation may help to better understand its role in breast cancer progression. This study shows for the first time that the transcription factor SLUG is a direct target of PDEF in breast cancer. We show that the expression of PDEF is able to suppress/dampen EMT through the negative regulation of SLUG. In addition, we show that PDEF is also able to regulate downstream targets of SLUG, namely E-cadherin, in both SLUG-dependent and -independent manners, suggesting a critical role for PDEF in regulating EMT.
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