A double-negative feedback loop between EpCAM and ERK contributes to the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer.

ABSTRACT: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important biological process that has been implicated in cancer metastasis. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is expressed at the basolateral membrane of most normal epithelial cells but is overexpressed in many epithelial cancers. In our studies on the role of EpCAM in cancer biology, we observed that EpCAM expression is decreased in mesenchymal-like primary cancer specimens in vivo and following induction of EMT in cancer cell lines in vitro. Extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) is a key regulator of EMT. We observed that EpCAM expression is decreased with activation of the ERK pathway in primary cancer specimens in vivo and in cancer cell lines in vitro. In experimental models, growth factor stimulation and/or oncogene-induced E

SUBMITTER: Sankpal NV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5571977 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature