Liu Xia, Yun Fen, Shi Lin, Li Zhe-Hai, Luo Nian-Rong, Jia Yong-Feng
Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China E-mail :
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2015;16(15):6201-6. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.15.6201.
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process though which an epithelial phenotype can be converted into a phenotype of mesenchymal cells. Under physiological conditions EMT is important for embryogenesis, organ development, wound repair and tissue remodeling. However, EMT may also be activated under pathologic conditions, especially in carcinogenesis and metastatic progression. Major signaling pathways involved in EMT include transforming growth factor β(TGF-β), Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog and other signaling pathways. These pathways are related to several transcription factors, including Twist, Smads and zinc finger proteins snail and slug. These interact with each other to provide crosstalk between the relevant signaling pathways. This review lays emphasis on studying the relationship between EMT and signaling pathways in carcinogenesis and metastatic progression.
上皮-间质转化（EMT）是一种细胞过程，通过该过程上皮表型可转化为间充质细胞表型。在生理条件下，EMT对胚胎发生、器官发育、伤口修复和组织重塑至关重要。然而，EMT也可能在病理条件下被激活，尤其是在癌症发生和转移进展过程中。参与EMT的主要信号通路包括转化生长因子β（TGF-β）、Wnt、Notch、Hedgehog和其他信号通路。这些通路与几种转录因子有关，包括Twist、Smads以及锌指蛋白Snail和Slug。它们相互作用，在相关信号通路之间提供串扰。本综述着重研究EMT与癌症发生和转移进展中的信号通路之间的关系。
