The Laboratory of Cell Biochemistry and Topogenetic Regulation, College of Bioengineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Chongqing University, No. 174 Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China.
Chongqing University Jiangjin Hospital, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, No. 725 Jiangzhou Avenue, Dingshan Street, Jiangjin District, Chongqing 402260, China.
Cells. 2022 Jun 21;11(13):1981. doi: 10.3390/cells11131981.
Consistently, the high metastasis of cancer cells is the bottleneck in the process of tumor treatment. In this process of metastasis, a pivotal role is executed by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation was first proposed to occur during embryonic development. Later, its important role in explaining embryonic developmental processes was widely reported. Recently, EMT and its intermediate state were also identified as crucial drivers in tumor progression with the gradual deepening of research. To gain insights into the potential mechanism, increasing attention has been focused on the EMT-related transcription factors. Correspondingly, miRNAs target transcription factors to control the EMT process of tumor cells in different types of cancers, while there are still many exciting and challenging questions about the phenomenon of microRNA regulation of cancer EMT. We describe the relevant mechanisms of miRNAs regulating EMT, and trace the regulatory roles and functions of major EMT-related transcription factors, including Snail, Twist, zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox (ZEB), and other families. In addition, on the basis of the complex regulatory network, we hope that the exploration of the regulatory relationship of non-transcription factors will provide a better understanding of EMT and cancer metastasis. The identification of the mechanism leading to the activation of EMT programs during diverse disease processes also provides a new protocol for the plasticity of distinct cellular phenotypes and possible therapeutic interventions. Here, we summarize the recent progress in this direction, with a promising path for further insight into this fast-moving field.
癌细胞的高转移一直是肿瘤治疗过程中的瓶颈。在这个转移过程中，上皮间质转化（EMT）起着关键作用。上皮间质转化最初是在胚胎发育过程中提出的。后来，其在解释胚胎发育过程中的重要作用被广泛报道。最近，随着研究的深入，EMT 及其中间状态也被确定为肿瘤进展的关键驱动因素。为了深入了解潜在的机制，人们越来越关注 EMT 相关的转录因子。相应地，miRNA 通过靶向转录因子来控制不同类型癌症中肿瘤细胞的 EMT 过程，但关于 miRNA 调节癌症 EMT 的现象仍有许多令人兴奋和具有挑战性的问题。我们描述了 miRNA 调节 EMT 的相关机制，并追溯了主要 EMT 相关转录因子（包括 Snail、Twist、锌指 E 盒结合同源盒（ZEB）等家族）的调节作用和功能。此外，在复杂的调控网络基础上，我们希望对非转录因子调控关系的探索将为 EMT 和癌症转移提供更好的理解。识别 EMT 程序在不同疾病过程中激活的机制也为不同细胞表型的可塑性和可能的治疗干预提供了新的方案。在这里，我们总结了这一方向的最新进展，为进一步深入了解这一快速发展的领域提供了一条有希望的途径。
