scholarly journals Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) as a Therapeutic Target

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Sven Jonckheere ◽  
Jamie Adams ◽  
Dominic De Groote ◽  
Kyra Campbell ◽  
Geert Berx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Primary Tumour ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumour to distant sites and organs throughout the body. It is the primary cause of cancer morbidity and mortality, and is estimated to account for 90% of cancer-related deaths. During the initial steps of the metastatic cascade, epithelial cancer cells undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and as a result become migratory and invasive mesenchymal-like cells while acquiring cancer stem cell properties and therapy resistance. As EMT is involved in such a broad range of processes associated with malignant transformation, it has become an increasingly interesting target for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Anti-EMT therapeutic strategies could potentially not only prevent the invasion and dissemination of cancer cells, and as such prevent the formation of metastatic lesions, but also attenuate cancer stemness and increase the effectiveness of more classical chemotherapeutics. In this review, we give an overview about the pros and cons of therapies targeting EMT and discuss some already existing candidate drug targets and high-throughput screening tools to identify novel anti-EMT compounds.

scholarly journals ALKBH5 Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Motility by Decreasing Long Non-Coding RNA KCNK15-AS1 Methylation

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 838-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan He ◽  
Hao Hu ◽  
Yandong Wang ◽  
Hao Yuan ◽  
Zipeng Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cancer Pathogenesis ◽  
Non Coding Rna ◽  
Cancer Tissues ◽  
Long Non Coding Rna

Background/Aims: Mounting evidence suggests that epitranscriptional modifications regulate multiple cellular processes. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant reversible methylation of mRNA, has critical roles in cancer pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms and functions of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) methylation remain unclear. Pancreatic cancer resulted in 411,600 deaths globally in 2015. By the time of pancreatic cancer diagnosis, metastasis has often occurred in other parts of the body. The present study sought to investigate lncRNA m6A modification and its roles in pancreatic cancer. Methods: Differential expression between cancer cells and matched normal cells was evaluated to identify candidate lncRNAs. The lncRNA KCNK15-AS1 was detected in cancer tissues and various pancreatic cells using RT-qPCR. KCNK15-AS1 was transfected into cells to explore its role in migration and invasion. Then, m6A RNA immunoprecipitation was performed to detect methylated KCNK15-AS1 in tissues and cells. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were used to evaluate KCNK15-AS1-mediated EMT processes. Results: KCNK15-AS1 was downregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with paired adjacent normal tissues. KCNK15-AS1 inhibited migration and invasion in MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3 cells. Furthermore, total RNA methylation in cancer cells was significantly enriched relative to that in immortalized human pancreatic duct epithelial (HPDE6-C7) cells. In addition, the m6A eraser ALKBH5 was downregulated in cancer cells, which can demethylate KCNK15-AS1 and regulate KCNK15-AS1-mediated cell motility. Conclusion: Our results have revealed a novel mechanism by which ALKBH5 inhibits pancreatic cancer motility by demethylating lncRNA KCNK15-AS1, identifying a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.

scholarly journals NRF2 activates a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition and is maximally present in a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 251-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Bocci ◽  
Satyendra C Tripathi ◽  
Samuel A Vilchez Mercedes ◽  
Jason T George ◽  
Julian P Casabar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Regulatory Circuit ◽  
Clinical Records ◽  
E Cadherin

Abstract The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process implicated in cancer metastasis and therapy resistance. Recent studies have emphasized that cells can undergo partial EMT to attain a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) phenotype – a cornerstone of tumour aggressiveness and poor prognosis. These cells can have enhanced tumour-initiation potential as compared to purely epithelial or mesenchymal ones and can integrate the properties of cell-cell adhesion and motility that facilitates collective cell migration leading to clusters of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) – the prevalent mode of metastasis. Thus, identifying the molecular players that can enable cells to maintain a hybrid E/M phenotype is crucial to curb the metastatic load. Using an integrated computational-experimental approach, we show that the transcription factor NRF2 can prevent a complete EMT and instead stabilize a hybrid E/M phenotype. Knockdown of NRF2 in hybrid E/M non-small cell lung cancer cells H1975 and bladder cancer cells RT4 destabilized a hybrid E/M phenotype and compromised the ability to collectively migrate to close a wound in vitro. Notably, while NRF2 knockout simultaneously downregulated E-cadherin and ZEB-1, overexpression of NRF2 enriched for a hybrid E/M phenotype by simultaneously upregulating both E-cadherin and ZEB-1 in individual RT4 cells. Further, we predict that NRF2 is maximally expressed in hybrid E/M phenotype(s) and demonstrate that this biphasic dynamic arises from the interconnections among NRF2 and the EMT regulatory circuit. Finally, clinical records from multiple datasets suggest a correlation between a hybrid E/M phenotype, high levels of NRF2 and its targets and poor survival, further strengthening the emerging notion that hybrid E/M phenotype(s) may occupy the ‘metastatic sweet spot’.

scholarly journals Quantifying Cancer Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity and its Association with Stemness and Immune Response

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongya Jia ◽  
Xuefei Li ◽  
Federico Bocci ◽  
Shubham Tripathi ◽  
Youyuan Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immune Suppression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Systematic Understanding ◽  
Small Clusters ◽  
Stable Hybrid

Cancer cells can acquire a spectrum of stable hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) states during epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cells in these hybrid E/M phenotypes often combine epithelial and mesenchymal features and tend to migrate collectively commonly as small clusters. Such collectively migrating cancer cells play a pivotal role in seeding metastases and their presence in cancer patients indicates an adverse prognostic factor. Moreover, cancer cells in hybrid E/M phenotypes tend to be more associated with stemness which endows them with tumor-initiation ability and therapy resistance. Most recently, cells undergoing EMT have been shown to promote immune suppression for better survival. A systematic understanding of the emergence of hybrid E/M phenotypes and the connection of EMT with stemness and immune suppression would contribute to more effective therapeutic strategies. In this review, we first discuss recent efforts combining theoretical and experimental approaches to elucidate mechanisms underlying EMT multi-stability (i.e., the existence of multiple stable phenotypes during EMT) and the properties of hybrid E/M phenotypes. Following we discuss non-cell-autonomous regulation of EMT by cell cooperation and extracellular matrix. Afterwards, we discuss various metrics that can be used to quantify EMT spectrum. We further describe possible mechanisms underlying the formation of clusters of circulating tumor cells. Last but not least, we summarize recent systems biology analysis of the role of EMT in the acquisition of stemness and immune suppression.

Breast Cancer Metastasis: Role of Tumor Microenvironment and Resident Macropahges

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Khemraj Singh Baghel ◽  
Smrati Bhadauria
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Metastatic Breast ◽  
Breast Cancer Metastasis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Tissue Remodelling ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

Metastatic breast cancer is a stage of breast cancer wherever the disease has spread to distant parts of the body. Onset of metastasis is one of the biggest obstacles to the successful treatment of cancer. The potential of a tumor cell to metastasize profoundly depends on its microenvironment, or “niche” interactions with local components. Macrophages provide tropic support to tumors. Resident macrophages contribute a set of common functions, including their capability to defend against microbial infections, to maintain normal cell turnover and tissue remodelling, and to help repair sites of injury. Macrophages are recruited into the tumor microenvironment where they differentiate to become Tumor-associated-macrophages (TAMs). TAMs are the most abundant subpopulation of tumor-stroma and actively drive cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Cancer metastasis is not solely regulated by the deregulation of metastasis promoting or suppressing genes in cancer cells. Recently the interaction between the stromal cells and cancer cells has been demonstrated to promote cancer metastasis. TAMs can advocate epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells. Loss of e-cadherin, a major phenomenon of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), reduces adhesiveness and releases cancer cells to distant (secondary) sites. A positive correlation between tumor progression and the expression of matrix metallo proteinases (MMPs) in tumor tissues has been demonstrated in numerous human and animal studies. The dynamic interactions of cancer-cells with TAMs actively promote invasion-metastasis cascade through intercellular-signalling-networks that need better elucidation.

scholarly journals New Advances in the Research of Resistance to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 9644
Author(s):  
Junsha An ◽  
Cheng Peng ◽  
Hailin Tang ◽  
Xiuxiu Liu ◽  
Fu Peng
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Breast Cancer Cells ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Chemotherapy Drugs

Breast cancer has an extremely high incidence in women, and its morbidity and mortality rank first among female tumors. With the increasing development of medicine today, the clinical application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has brought new hope to the treatment of breast cancer. Although the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been confirmed, drug resistance is one of the main reasons for its treatment failure, contributing to the difficulty in the treatment of breast cancer. This article focuses on multiple mechanisms of action and expounds a series of recent research advances that mediate drug resistance in breast cancer cells. Drug metabolizing enzymes can mediate a catalytic reaction to inactivate chemotherapeutic drugs and develop drug resistance. The drug efflux system can reduce the drug concentration in breast cancer cells. The combination of glutathione detoxification system and platinum drugs can cause breast cancer cells to be insensitive to drugs. Changes in drug targets have led to poorer efficacy of HER2 receptor inhibitors. Moreover, autophagy, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and tumor microenvironment can all contribute to the development of resistance in breast cancer cells. Based on the relevant research on the existing drug resistance mechanism, the current treatment plan for reversing the resistance of breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is explored, and the potential drug targets are analyzed, aiming to provide a new idea and strategy to reverse the resistance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer.

scholarly journals Quantifying Cancer Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity and Its Association with Stemness and Immune Response

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongya Jia ◽  
Xuefei Li ◽  
Federico Bocci ◽  
Shubham Tripathi ◽  
Youyuan Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immune Suppression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Systematic Understanding ◽  
Small Clusters ◽  
Stable Hybrid

Cancer cells can acquire a spectrum of stable hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) states during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cells in these hybrid E/M phenotypes often combine epithelial and mesenchymal features and tend to migrate collectively commonly as small clusters. Such collectively migrating cancer cells play a pivotal role in seeding metastases and their presence in cancer patients indicates an adverse prognostic factor. Moreover, cancer cells in hybrid E/M phenotypes tend to be more associated with stemness which endows them with tumor-initiation ability and therapy resistance. Most recently, cells undergoing EMT have been shown to promote immune suppression for better survival. A systematic understanding of the emergence of hybrid E/M phenotypes and the connection of EMT with stemness and immune suppression would contribute to more effective therapeutic strategies. In this review, we first discuss recent efforts combining theoretical and experimental approaches to elucidate mechanisms underlying EMT multi-stability (i.e. the existence of multiple stable phenotypes during EMT) and the properties of hybrid E/M phenotypes. Following we discuss non-cell-autonomous regulation of EMT by cell cooperation and extracellular matrix. Afterwards, we discuss various metrics that can be used to quantify EMT spectrum. We further describe possible mechanisms underlying the formation of clusters of circulating tumor cells. Last but not least, we summarize recent systems biology analysis of the role of EMT in the acquisition of stemness and immune suppression.

scholarly journals Therapy Resistance in Cancers: Phenotypic, Metabolic, Epigenetic and Tumour Microenvironmental Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 2190-2206
Author(s):  
Tasnim Zahan ◽  
Plabon K. Das ◽  
Syeda F. Akter ◽  
Rowshanul Habib ◽  
Md. Habibur Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Resistance Property

Background: Chemoresistance is a vital problem in cancer therapy where cancer cells develop mechanisms to encounter the effect of chemotherapeutics, resulting in cancer recurrence. In addition, chemotherapy- resistant leads to the formation of a more aggressive form of cancer cells, which, in turn, contributes to the poor survival of patients with cancer. Objective: In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of how the therapy resistance property evolves in cancer cells, contributing factors and their role in cancer chemoresistance, and exemplified the problems of some available therapies. Methods: The published literature on various electronic databases including, Pubmed, Scopus, Google scholar containing keywords cancer therapy resistance, phenotypic, metabolic and epigenetic factors, were vigorously searched, retrieved and analyzed. Results: Cancer cells have developed a range of cellular processes, including uncontrolled activation of Epithelial- Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic alterations. These cellular processes play significant roles in the generation of therapy resistance. Furthermore, the microenvironment where cancer cells evolve effectively contributes to the process of chemoresistance. In tumour microenvironment immune cells, Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), endothelial cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contribute to the maintenance of therapy-resistant phenotype via the secretion of factors that promote resistance to chemotherapy. Conclusion: To conclude, as these factors hinder successful cancer therapies, therapeutic resistance property of cancer cells is a subject of intense research, which in turn could open a new horizon to aim for developing efficient therapies.

scholarly journals A mathematical multi-organ model for bidirectional epithelial–mesenchymal transitions in the metastatic spread of cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 724-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linnea C Franssen ◽  
Mark A J Chaplain
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Tumour Microenvironment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Metastatic Spread ◽  
Mathematical Framework ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Epithelial Phenotype ◽  
Organ Model ◽  
Cell Dormancy

Abstract Cancer invasion and metastatic spread to secondary sites in the body are facilitated by a complex interplay between cancer cells of different phenotypes and their microenvironment. A trade-off between the cancer cells’ ability to invade the tissue and to metastasize, and their ability to proliferate has been observed. This gives rise to the classification of cancer cells into those of mesenchymal and epithelial phenotype, respectively. Additionally, mixed phenotypic states between these two extremes exist. Cancer cells can transit between these states via epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the reverse process, mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET). These processes are crucial for both the local tissue invasion and the metastatic spread of cancer cells. To shed light on the role of these phenotypic states and the transitions between them in the invasive and metastatic process, we extend our recently published multi-grid, hybrid, individual-based mathematical metastasis framework (Franssen et al. 2019, A mathematical framework for modelling the metastatic spread of cancer. Bull. Math. Biol., 81, 1965). In addition to cancer cells of epithelial and of mesenchymal phenotype, we now also include those of an intermediate partial-EMT phenotype. Furthermore, we allow for the switching between these phenotypic states via EMT and MET at the biologically appropriate steps of the invasion-metastasis cascade. We also account for the likelihood of spread of cancer cells to the various secondary sites and differentiate between the tissues of the organs involved in our simulations. Finally, we consider the maladaptation of metastasized cancer cells to the new tumour microenvironment at secondary sites as well as the immune response at these sites by accounting for cancer cell dormancy and death. This way, we create a first mathematical multi-organ model that explicitly accounts for EMT-processes occurring at the level of individual cancer cells in the context of the invasion-metastasis cascade.

scholarly journals Anoikis Resistance: An Essential Prerequisite for Tumor Metastasis

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Nyun Kim ◽  
Kyung Hee Koo ◽  
Jee Young Sung ◽  
Un-Jung Yun ◽  
Hyeryeong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Vascular System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Membrane Microdomains ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Anoikis Resistance ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Technological Advances

Metastasis is a multistep process including dissociation of cancer cells from primary sites, survival in the vascular system, and proliferation in distant target organs. As a barrier to metastasis, cells normally undergo an apoptotic process known as “anoikis,” a form of cell death due to loss of contact with the extracellular matrix or neighboring cells. Cancer cells acquire anoikis resistance to survive after detachment from the primary sites and travel through the circulatory and lymphatic systems to disseminate throughout the body. Because recent technological advances enable us to detect rare circulating tumor cells, which are anoikis resistant, currently, anoikis resistance becomes a hot topic in cancer research. Detailed molecular and functional analyses of anoikis resistant cells may provide insight into the biology of cancer metastasis and identify novel therapeutic targets for prevention of cancer dissemination. This paper comprehensively describes recent investigations of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying anoikis and anoikis resistance in relation to intrinsic and extrinsic death signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, growth factor receptors, energy metabolism, reactive oxygen species, membrane microdomains, and lipid rafts.

scholarly journals Association of the Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) with Cisplatin Resistance

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 4002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Ashrafizadeh ◽  
Ali Zarrabi ◽  
Kiavash Hushmandi ◽  
Mahshad Kalantari ◽  
Reza Mohammadinejad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Nuclear Factor Κb ◽  
Molecular Pathways ◽  
Cancer Resistance ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
The Impact

Therapy resistance is a characteristic of cancer cells that significantly reduces the effectiveness of drugs. Despite the popularity of cisplatin (CP) as a chemotherapeutic agent, which is widely used in the treatment of various types of cancer, resistance of cancer cells to CP chemotherapy has been extensively observed. Among various reported mechanism(s), the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process can significantly contribute to chemoresistance by converting the motionless epithelial cells into mobile mesenchymal cells and altering cell–cell adhesion as well as the cellular extracellular matrix, leading to invasion of tumor cells. By analyzing the impact of the different molecular pathways such as microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, nuclear factor-κB (NF-ĸB), phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related protein kinase (PI3K)/Akt, mammalian target rapamycin (mTOR), and Wnt, which play an important role in resistance exhibited to CP therapy, we first give an introduction about the EMT mechanism and its role in drug resistance. We then focus specifically on the molecular pathways involved in drug resistance and the pharmacological strategies that can be used to mitigate this resistance. Overall, we highlight the various targeted signaling pathways that could be considered in future studies to pave the way for the inhibition of EMT-mediated resistance displayed by tumor cells in response to CP exposure.

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