Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjyuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
J Oncol. 2011;2011:591427. doi: 10.1155/2011/591427. Epub 2010 Dec 23.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a multistep process in which cells acquire molecular alterations such as loss of cell-cell junctions and restructuring of the cytoskeleton. There is an increasing understanding that this process may promote breast cancer progression through promotion of invasive and metastatic tumor growth. Recent observations imply that there may be a cross-talk between EMT and cancer stem cell properties, leading to enhanced tumorigenicity and the capacity to generate heterogeneous tumor cell populations. Here, we review the experimental and clinical evidence for the involvement of EMT in cancer stem cell theory, focusing on the common characteristics of this phenomenon.
上皮-间充质转化（EMT）是一个多步骤的过程，在此过程中细胞获得分子改变，如细胞-细胞连接的丢失和细胞骨架的重构。人们越来越认识到，这个过程可能通过促进侵袭性和转移性肿瘤的生长来促进乳腺癌的进展。最近的观察表明，EMT 与癌症干细胞特性之间可能存在交叉对话，从而增强了肿瘤发生能力和产生异质性肿瘤细胞群体的能力。在这里，我们综述了 EMT 参与癌症干细胞理论的实验和临床证据，重点介绍了这一现象的共同特征。
