Significance of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Cancer

Abstract

Cancer invasion and metastasis is initiated by the event that cancer cells are released from the primary cell aggregate. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）is characterized by the loss of epithelial characteristics and the gain of mesenchymal attributes. During this transition, epithelial cells down-regulate cell-cell adhesion systems, lose their polarity, and acquire a mesenchymal phenotype associated with increased interaction with extracellular matrix（ECM） and enhanced migratory capacity. The EMT is considered to play a major role in the initial step of cancer invasion and metastasis. Furthermofe, it is also thought to be involved in pathological settings such as fibrotic disorders and neurofibroma formation. Therefore, suppression of EMT and mesenchymal phenotype can be a new therapeutic approach for those refractory diseases. We have recently developed a novel in vitro EMT induction system which is currently used for screen small molecular weight compounds inhibiting EMT.