Epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Activation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process in cancer cell metastasis, during which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal characteristics with an enhancement of cell motility and migration.

EMT is characterised by a loss of epithelial cell markers such as cytokeratins and E-cadherin, followed by an upregulation in the expression of mesenchymal cell markers such as N-cadherin, vimentin, and fibronectin.

These epithelial and mesenchymal cell marker expression changes lead to a reduction of the adhesion between the transitioning cell and adjacent epithelial cells and an increase in the secretion of enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix (Banyard et al., 2015).

Collectively, this results in epithelial cells losing apical-basal cell polarity, reorganizing their cytoskeleton, and reprogramming gene expression; enabling the development of an invasive phenotype in cancer metastasis (Lamouille et al., 2014). 

Contents:

• E-cadherin
• N-cadherin
• Vimentin
• SNAIL

E-Cadherin

Decreased E-cadherin expression is a fundamental event in EMT and cancer metastasis and has emerged as a molecular hallmark of the carcinoma EMT (Wells et al., 2008). 

Anti-E Cadherin antibody [EP700Y] - Intercellular Junction Marker (ab40772)
Immunohistochemistry (formalin/PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded sections) of human breast carcinoma tissue stained using anti-E cadherin recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibody (ab40772) (green). View datasheet.

• Browse all E-cadherin antibodies

N-cadherin

The loss of E-cadherin is usually related to a gain of expression of the mesenchymal cadherin (eg N-cadherin) in many cancer types and is thought to be necessary for tumor cells to gain invasive properties (Jia et al., 2015).

 Anti-N Cadherin antibody (ab18203)
Immunohistochemistry (formalin/PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded sections) of human liver cancer tissue stained with anti-N Cadherin rabbit polyclonal antibody (ab18203). View datasheet.

Browse all N-cadherin antibodies

Vimentin

Anti-Vimentin antibody [EPR3776] - Cytoskeleton Marker (ab92547)

Immunohistochemistry (formalin/PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded sections) of human breast adenocarcinoma tissue stained using anti-vimentin recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibody (ab92547). ​View datasheet.

• Browse all vimentin antibodies.

SNAIL 

​The change in the epithelial and mesenchymal gene expression that occurs during EMT is regulated by multiple transcription factor families that include SNAI1/Snail, ZEB1/ZEB2, and basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors (bHLH, Lamouille et al., 2014).

Anti-SNAIL + SLUG antibody (ab180714)

Immunohistochemistry (formalin/PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded sections) of human cervical carcinoma tissue stained with anti-AREB6 (ZEB1) recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibody (ab203829). View datasheet.

• Browse all SNAIL and SLUG antibodies
• Browse all ZEB1/AREB6 antibodies
• Browse all ZEB2/SIP1 antibodies

References

Banyard, J. and Bielenberg, D. R. (2015). The role of EMT and MET in Cancer Dissemination. Connect Tissue Res. 56(5):403–413.

Lamouille, S., Xu, J., & Derynck, R. (2014). Molecular mechanisms of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology, 15(3), 178–196.

Wells, A., Yates, C., & Shepard, C. R. (2008). E-cadherin as an indicator of mesenchymal to epithelial reverting transitions during the metastatic seeding of disseminated carcinomas. Clinical & experimental metastasis, 25(6), 621–628.

Jia, W., Zhu, J., Martin, T. A., Jiang, A., Sanders, A. J. and Jiang, W. G. (2015). Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition (EMT) Markers in Human Pituitary Adenomas Indicate a Clinical Course. Anticancer Research. vol. 35 no. 5 2635-2643

Vergara, D., Simeone, P., Franck, J., Trerotola, M., Giudetti, A., Capobianco, L., Tinelli, A., Bellomo, C., Fournier, I., Gaballo, A., Alberti, S., Salzet, M. and Maffia, M. (2016). Translating epithelial mesenchymal transition markers into the clinic: Novel insights from proteomics. EuPA Open Proteomics. Volume 10, March 2016, Pages 31-41