Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
10:37
Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: August 27, 2013
36.6K
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in tumor progression
Elena Prieto-García1, C Vanesa Díaz-García1, Inmaculada García-Ruiz1
1Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Avda de Córdoba s/n, 28041, Madrid, Spain.
Medical Oncology (Northwood, London, England)
|June 1, 2017
Summary
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drives cancer progression by increasing invasiveness and metastasis. Understanding EMT pathways offers new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Cancer Biology
- Molecular Oncology
Background:
- The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process crucial for development and disease.
- In cancer, EMT enhances invasiveness, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance, driving tumor progression.
- EMT involves complex signaling pathways and transcriptional networks, leading to phenotypic plasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of EMT in cancer progression.
- To understand the regulatory mechanisms of EMT activation.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for modulating EMT.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of signaling pathways and transcriptional networks regulating EMT.
- Investigation of epigenetic and post-translational modifications affecting EMT.
- Characterization of cancer cell phenotypes along the EMT spectrum.
Main Results:
- EMT involves the loss of epithelial markers like E-cadherin and gain of mesenchymal traits.
- EMT transcription factors cooperate with enzymes to regulate E-cadherin expression.
- Cancer cells exhibit phenotypic plasticity along the EMT spectrum, contributing to tumor initiation.
Conclusions:
- EMT is a key driver of cancer progression, invasiveness, and metastasis.
- Understanding EMT plasticity and its regulators is vital for developing novel cancer therapies.
- Targeting EMT pathways may offer new avenues for treating advanced cancers.
Related Concept Videos
02:30Metastasis
6.7K
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...
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...
6.7K
02:07Tumor Progression
7.6K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
7.6K
01:19Cadherins in Tissue Organization
4.4K
The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
4.4K
02:17The Tumor Microenvironment
8.0K
Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...
8.0K
01:19Cell Migration
6.9K
Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
6.9K
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
7.2K
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
7.2K