Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Cancer Res. 2022 Jul 5;82(13):2329-2343. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-4370.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process that occurs during embryogenesis and tissue repair. However, EMT can be hijacked by malignant cells, where it may promote immune evasion and metastasis. Classically considered a dichotomous transition, EMT in cancer has recently been considered a plastic process whereby malignant cells display and interconvert among hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) states. Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) and associated hybrid E/M states are divergent from classical EMT, with unique immunomodulatory effects. Here, we review recent insights into the EMP-immune cross-talk, highlighting possible mechanisms of immune evasion conferred by hybrid E/M states and roles of immune cells in EMP.
上皮-间充质转化（EMT）是胚胎发生和组织修复过程中发生的基本过程。然而，恶性细胞可以劫持 EMT，从而促进免疫逃逸和转移。 EMT 在癌症中被经典地认为是一种二态性转化，最近被认为是一种可塑性过程，其中恶性细胞表现出并在混合上皮/间充质（E/M）状态之间相互转化。上皮-间充质可塑性（EMP）和相关的混合 E/M 状态与经典 EMT 不同，具有独特的免疫调节作用。在这里，我们回顾了最近对 EMP-免疫交叉对话的深入了解，强调了混合 E/M 状态赋予的免疫逃逸的可能机制以及免疫细胞在 EMP 中的作用。
