AUTHOR=Bhatia Sugandha , Wang Peiyu , Toh Alan , Thompson Erik W. 

TITLE=New Insights Into the Role of Phenotypic Plasticity and EMT in Driving Cancer Progression

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2020.00071

DOI=10.3389/fmolb.2020.00071

ISSN=2296-889X

ABSTRACT=Tumour cells demonstrate substantial plasticity in their genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) can be characterised into dynamic intermediate states and can be orchestrated by many factors, either intercellularly via epigenetic reprogramming, or extracellularly via growth factors, inflammation and/or hypoxia generated by the tumour stromal microenvironment. EMP has the capability to alter phenotype and produce heterogeneity, and thus by changing the whole cancer landscape can attenuate oncogenic signalling networks, invoke anti-apoptotic features, defend against chemotherapeutics and reprogram angiogenic and immune recognition functions. We discuss here the role of phenotypic plasticity in tumour initiation, progression and metastasis and provide an update of the modalities utilized for the molecular characterization of the EMT states and attributes of cellular behaviour, including cellular metabolism, in the context of EMP. We also summarise recent findings in dynamic EMP studies that provide new insights into the phenotypic plasticity of EMP flux in cancer and propose therapeutic strategies to impede the metastatic outgrowth of phenotypically heterogeneous tumours.