Epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypic switchings modulate cell motility in metastasis (original) (raw)

IMR Press / FBL / Volume 16 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.2741/3722

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article

Epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypic switchings modulate cell motility in metastasis

Affiliation

1 Department of Pathology, Pittsburgh VAMC and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. wellsa@upmc.edu

2 Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA 02139, USA

Published: 1 January 2011

Abstract

The most ominous stage of cancer progression is metastasis, or the dissemination of carcinoma cells from the primary site into distant organs. Metastases are often resistant to current extirpative therapies and even the newest biological agents cure only a small subset of patients. Therefore a greater understanding of tumor biology that integrates properties intrinsic to carcinomas with tissue environmental modulators of behavior is needed. In no aspect of tumor progression is this more evident than the acquisition of cell motility that is critical for both escape from the primary tumor and colonization. In this overview, we discuss how this behavior is modified by carcinoma cell phenotypic plasticity that is evidenced by reversible switching between epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes. The presence or absence of intercellular adhesions mediate these switches and dictate the receptivity towards signals from the extracellular milieu. These signals, which include soluble growth factors, cytokines, and extracellular matrix embedded with matrikines and matricryptines will be discussed in depth. Finally, we will describe a new mode of discerning the balance between epithelioid and mesenchymal movement.

Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) Print ISSN 2768-6701 Electronic ISSN 2768-6698

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