Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Cell Biology and Tumor Cell Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2010 Aug;67(15):2605-18. doi: 10.1007/s00018-010-0338-2. Epub 2010 Mar 18.
The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a highly conserved cellular program that allows polarized, well-differentiated epithelial cells to convert to unpolarized, motile mesenchymal cells. EMT is critical for appropriate embryogenesis and plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Recent studies revealed that there is a direct link between the EMT program and the gain of epithelial stem cell properties. EMT is sufficient to induce a population with stem cell characteristics from well-differentiated epithelial cells and cancer cells. In this review, we briefly introduce the biology of EMT inducers and transcription factors in tumorigenesis and then focus on the role of these key players of the EMT in generating and maintaining cancer stem cells.
上皮-间充质转化(EMT)是一个高度保守的细胞程序,它使极化的、分化良好的上皮细胞转化为非极化的、运动的间充质细胞。EMT 对于适当的胚胎发生至关重要,并在肿瘤发生和癌症进展中发挥关键作用。最近的研究表明,EMT 程序与上皮干细胞特性的获得之间存在直接联系。EMT 足以从分化良好的上皮细胞和癌细胞中诱导出具有干细胞特征的群体。在这篇综述中,我们简要介绍了 EMT 诱导物和转录因子在肿瘤发生中的生物学作用,然后重点介绍了这些 EMT 的关键因子在产生和维持癌症干细胞中的作用。