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Published on: June 4, 2015
Phenotypic Plasticity of Cancer Cells Based on Remodeling of the Actin Cytoskeleton and Adhesive Structures
Svetlana N Rubtsova1, Irina Y Zhitnyak1, Natalya A Gloushankova1
1Institute of Carcinogenesis, N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 24 Kashirskoye Shosse, 115478 Moscow, Russia.
Abstract:
There is ample evidence that, instead of a binary switch, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer results in a flexible array of phenotypes, each one uniquely suited to a stage in the invasion-metastasis cascade. The phenotypic plasticity of epithelium-derived cancer cells gives them an edge in surviving and thriving in alien environments. This review describes in detail the actin cytoskeleton and E-cadherin-based adherens junction rearrangements that cancer cells need to implement in order to achieve the advantageous epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype and plasticity of migratory phenotypes that can arise from partial EMT.
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