EMT and MET: necessary or permissive for metastasis?
Journal Article (Journal Article;Review)
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its reverse mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) have been suggested to play crucial roles in metastatic dissemination of carcinomas. These phenotypic transitions between states are not binary. Instead, carcinoma cells often exhibit a spectrum of epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype(s). While epithelial/mesenchymal plasticity has been observed preclinically and clinically, whether any of these phenotypic transitions are indispensable for metastatic outgrowth remains an unanswered question. Here, we focus on epithelial/mesenchymal plasticity in metastatic dissemination and propose alternative mechanisms for successful dissemination and metastases beyond the traditional EMT/MET view. We highlight multiple hypotheses that can help reconcile conflicting observations, and outline the next set of key questions that can offer valuable insights into mechanisms of metastasis in multiple tumor models.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Jolly, MK; Ware, KE; Gilja, S; Somarelli, JA; Levine, H
Published Date
- July 2017
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 11 / 7
Start / End Page
- 755 - 769
PubMed ID
- 28548345
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC5496498
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1878-0261
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1002/1878-0261.12083
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States