Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in development and pathologies.
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process governing morphogenesis in multicellular organisms. This process is also reactivated in a variety of diseases including fibrosis and in the progression of carcinoma. The molecular mechanisms of EMT were primarily studied in epithelial cell lines, leading to the discovery of transduction pathways involved in the loss of epithelial cell polarity and the acquisition of a variety of mesenchymal phenotypic traits. Similar mechanisms have also been uncovered in vivo in different species, showing that EMT is controlled by remarkably well-conserved mechanisms. Current studies further emphasise the critical importance of EMT and provide a better molecular and functional definition of mesenchymal cells and how they emerged >500 million years ago as a key event in evolution.
Thiery
Jean Paul
JP
Unite Mixte de Recherche 144, Centre National Recherche Scientifique, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75248 Paris cedex 05, France. jpthiery@curie.fr
D000818:Animals; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D002460:Cell Line; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000473:pathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis; D010641:Phenotype; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases