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Stationed or Relocating: The Seesawing EMT/MET Determinants from Embryonic Development to Cancer Metastasis

Authors :
Tai-I Hsu
Michael Hsiao
Ming-Hsien Chan
Pei Jung Lu
Yu Chan Chang
Chien-Hsiu Li
Source :
Biomedicines, Vol 9, Iss 1265, p 1265 (2021), Biomedicines
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

Epithelial and mesenchymal transition mechanisms continue to occur during the cell cycle and throughout human development from the embryo stage to death. In embryo development, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can be divided into three essential steps. First, endoderm, mesoderm, and neural crest cells form, then the cells are subdivided, and finally, cardiac valve formation occurs. After the embryonic period, the human body will be subjected to ongoing mechanical stress or injury. The formation of a wound requires EMT to recruit fibroblasts to generate granulation tissues, repair the wound and re-create an intact skin barrier. However, once cells transform into a malignant tumor, the tumor cells acquire the characteristic of immortality. Local cell growth with no growth inhibition creates a solid tumor. If the tumor cannot obtain enough nutrition in situ, the tumor cells will undergo EMT and invade the basal membrane of nearby blood vessels. The tumor cells are transported through the bloodstream to secondary sites and then begin to form colonies and undergo reverse EMT, the so-called “mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET).” This dynamic change involves cell morphology, environmental conditions, and external stimuli. Therefore, in this manuscript, the similarities and differences between EMT and MET will be dissected from embryonic development to the stage of cancer metastasis.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22279059
Volume :
9
Issue :
1265
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Biomedicines
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....7837f435b4c4d447822788d32bc97a41