TY - JOUR
T1 - Revisiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer metastasis
T2 - the connection between epithelial plasticity and stemness
AU - Liao, Tsai Tsen
AU - Yang, Muh Hwa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors. Published by FEBS Press and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in embryonic development, fibrosis, and cancer metastasis. During cancer progression, the activation of EMT permits cancer cells to acquire migratory, invasive, and stem-like properties. A growing body of evidence supports the critical link between EMT and cancer stemness. However, contradictory results have indicated that the inhibition of EMT also promotes cancer stemness, and that mesenchymal-epithelial transition, the reverse process of EMT, is associated with the tumor-initiating ability required for metastatic colonization. The concept of ‘intermediate-state EMT’ provides a possible explanation for this conflicting evidence. In addition, recent studies have indicated that the appearance of ‘hybrid’ epithelial-mesenchymal cells is favorable for the establishment of metastasis. In summary, dynamic changes or plasticity between the epithelial and the mesenchymal states rather than a fixed phenotype is more likely to occur in tumors in the clinical setting. Further studies aimed at validating and consolidating the concept of intermediate-state EMT and hybrid tumors are needed for the establishment of a comprehensive profile of cancer metastasis.
AB - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in embryonic development, fibrosis, and cancer metastasis. During cancer progression, the activation of EMT permits cancer cells to acquire migratory, invasive, and stem-like properties. A growing body of evidence supports the critical link between EMT and cancer stemness. However, contradictory results have indicated that the inhibition of EMT also promotes cancer stemness, and that mesenchymal-epithelial transition, the reverse process of EMT, is associated with the tumor-initiating ability required for metastatic colonization. The concept of ‘intermediate-state EMT’ provides a possible explanation for this conflicting evidence. In addition, recent studies have indicated that the appearance of ‘hybrid’ epithelial-mesenchymal cells is favorable for the establishment of metastasis. In summary, dynamic changes or plasticity between the epithelial and the mesenchymal states rather than a fixed phenotype is more likely to occur in tumors in the clinical setting. Further studies aimed at validating and consolidating the concept of intermediate-state EMT and hybrid tumors are needed for the establishment of a comprehensive profile of cancer metastasis.
KW - epithelial-mesenchymal transition
KW - metastasis
KW - plasticity
KW - stemness
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U2 - 10.1002/1878-0261.12096
DO - 10.1002/1878-0261.12096
M3 - Review article
C2 - 28649800
AN - SCOPUS:85021277814
SN - 1574-7891
VL - 11
SP - 792
EP - 804
JO - Molecular Oncology
JF - Molecular Oncology
IS - 7
ER -