Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is known to play roles in orchestrating cellular plasticity across many physiological and pathological contexts. Partial EMT, wherein cells maintain both epithelial and mesenchymal features, is gaining recognition for its functional importance in cancer in recent years. There are many factors regulating both partial and full EMT, and the precise mechanisms underlying these processes vary depending on the biological context. Furthermore, how different EMT states cooperate to create a heterogeneous tumor population and promote different pro-malignant features remains largely undefined. In a recent study published in Nature Cancer, Youssef and colleagues described how two disparate EMT programs, active in either organ fibrosis or embryonic development, are utilized within different cells within the same murine mammary tumor model. This work provides mechanistic insight into the development of intratumoral heterogeneity, providing evidence for the cooperation between the two EMT trajectories.

中文翻译：

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由不同的 EMT 项目驱动的肿瘤异质性和合作癌症标志


已知上皮-间充质转化 （EMT） 在许多生理和病理环境中协调细胞可塑性中发挥作用。部分 EMT 是细胞同时保持上皮和间充质特征，近年来因其在癌症中的功能重要性而得到认可。有许多因素调节部分和完全 EMT，这些过程的确切机制因生物学背景而异。此外，不同的 EMT 状态如何合作创建异质性肿瘤群体并促进不同的促恶性特征在很大程度上仍未确定。在最近发表在《自然癌症》上的一项研究中，Youssef 及其同事描述了如何在同一小鼠乳腺肿瘤模型的不同细胞内利用两个不同的 EMT 程序，这些程序活跃于器官纤维化或胚胎发育。这项工作为瘤内异质性的发展提供了机制见解，为两种 EMT 轨迹之间的合作提供了证据。