Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-10-2017

Abstract

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular reprogramming mechanism that is an underlying cause of cancer metastasis. Recent investigations have uncovered an intricate network of regulation involving the TGFβ Wnt, and Notch signaling pathways and small regulatory RNA species called microRNAs (miRNAs). The activity of a transcription factor vital to the maintenance of epithelial stemness, ?Np63a, has been shown to modulate the activity of these EMT pathways to either repress or promote EMT. Furthermore, ?Np63a is a known regulator of miRNA, including those directly involved in EMT. This review discusses the evidence of ?Np63a as a master regulator of EMT components and miRNA, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of its role in EMT. This expanded knowledge may provide a basis for new developments in the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic cancer.

Comments

Oncotarget applies the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC BY 3.0) to all works we publish (read the human-readable summary or the full license legal code). Under the CC BY, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles in Oncotarget, so long as the original authors and source are cited.

DOI

10.18632/oncotarget.13797


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