MET after transient Twist activation results in de novo gain of malignant traits

During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), apical-basal polarized epithelial cells are converted to front-to-back polarized mesenchymal cells that only form loose cell-cell adhesions. These phenotypic changes are accompanied by acquisition of increased motility and invasiveness. EMT programs are orchestrated by pleiotropic transcription factors (TFs), such as Twist1 and Snail1 and effect morphogenetic steps during embryogenesis, including mesoderm formation and neural crest migration. EMTs have also been implicated in the acquisition of aggressive traits by carcinoma cells, including the ability to complete several steps of the metastatic cascade as well as propagation of the tumor by single cells (clonogenicity), a defining trait of tumor-initiating or cancer stem cells. However, the molecular links between the expression of EMT-TFs, the process of EMT and acquisition of clonogenicity remain obscure.

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Schmidt JM, Panzilius E, Bartsch HS, Irmler M, Beckers J, Kari V, Linnemann JR, Dragoi D, Hirschi B, Kloos UJ, Sass S, Theis F, Kahlert S, Johnsen SA, Sotlar K, Scheel CH