Pieniążek Małgorzata, Donizy Piotr, Ziętek Marcin, Szynglarewicz Bartłomiej, Matkowski Rafał
Katedra Onkologii, Zakład Chirurgii Onkologicznej Uniwersytetu Medycznego we Wrocławiu, pl. Hirszfelda 12, 53-413 Wrocław, Poland.
Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2012 Sep 7;66:583-91. doi: 10.5604/17322693.1009653.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a biological process that drives polarized, immotile epithelial cells to undergo multiple biochemical changes to acquire a mesenchymal cell phenotype. The characteristic features of EMT are cell apolarity, loss of cellular adhesion, reduced expression of E-cadherin and increased migratory capacity, as well as invasiveness. EMT is a physiological process that is essential for normal embryonic development. Additionally, abnormal activation of EMT contributes to some human pathologies such as tissue fibrosis, cancer cell invasion and metastasis. In both situations, the basic molecular mechanisms are similar, but lead to different effects depending on cell type and biological conditions of the environment. TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine that controls proliferation, differentiation and other functions in many cell types. It has been found that neoplastic development converts TGF-β into an oncogenic cytokine. It activates various molecular processes, which are engaged in EMT initiation. All that makes TGF-β a key regulator of EMT.
上皮-间质转化（EMT）是一个生物学过程，它促使极化的、静止的上皮细胞经历多种生化变化，以获得间充质细胞表型。EMT的特征包括细胞极性消失、细胞黏附丧失、E-钙黏蛋白表达降低、迁移能力增强以及侵袭性增加。EMT是正常胚胎发育所必需的生理过程。此外，EMT的异常激活会导致一些人类疾病，如组织纤维化、癌细胞侵袭和转移。在这两种情况下，基本分子机制相似，但根据细胞类型和环境的生物学条件会导致不同的结果。转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）是一种多功能细胞因子，可控制多种细胞类型的增殖、分化和其他功能。已发现肿瘤发生会将TGF-β转化为致癌细胞因子。它激活各种分子过程，这些过程参与EMT的起始。所有这些使得TGF-β成为EMT的关键调节因子。
