epithelial-mesenchymal transition
Cellular process where epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal characteristics, promoting metastasis.
Full Definition
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a biological process where epithelial cells lose their cell-cell adhesion and polarity while gaining mesenchymal characteristics including enhanced motility and invasiveness. During EMT, cells downregulate epithelial markers like E-cadherin and upregulate mesenchymal markers such as vimentin. This process is crucial for normal embryonic development but is also hijacked by cancer cells to facilitate invasion and metastasis. EMT is reversible through mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) and represents an important therapeutic target.
Usage
Usage note: Commonly abbreviated as EMT; distinguish from MET (reverse process).
In Context
- "Epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers were upregulated at the tumor invasive front." — Research manuscript
- "The compound effectively inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro." — Drug development report