title: Snail and Slug, key regulators of TGF-β-induced EMT, are sufficient for the induction of single-cell invasion.
abstract: TGF-β plays a dual role in cancer; in early stages it inhibits tumor growth, whereas later it promotes invasion and metastasis. TGF-β is thought to be pro-invasive by inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via induction of transcriptional repressors, including Slug and Snail. In this study, we investigated the role of Snail and Slug in TGF-β-induced invasion in an in vitro invasion assay and in an embryonic zebrafish xenograft model. Ectopic expression of Slug or Snail promoted invasion of single, rounded amoeboid cells in vitro. In an embryonic zebrafish xenograft model, forced expression of Slug and Snail promoted single cell invasion and metastasis. Slug and Snail are sufficient for the induction of single-cell invasion in an in vitro invasion assay and in an embryonic zebrafish xenograft model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Centre for Biomedical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hildegonda P H
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Naber
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Drabsch
authors.forename: B Ewa
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Snaar-Jagalska
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: ten Dijke
authors.forename: Theo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van Laar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays / Q000379:methods; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C000604407:SNAI1 protein, human; C000604449:Snai2 protein, mouse; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3