Introduction
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition is a process in which epithelial cells lose epithelial characteristics like apico-basolateral polarity and adhesion to each other and instead they acquire mesenchymal traits like frontal-back polarity(also known as spindle shaped polarity) motility and secretion of various extracellular components like collagens, laminins and fibronectins in addition to a plethora of matrix metaloproteinases.
Regulators
Transcription Factors
Several key embryonic transcription factors is implicated in orchestrating this massive program. among these are Snail1, Snail2(Also called Slug), Twist, ZEB1/2, Goosecoid.
Cytokines and Growth Factors
EMT program is often initiated in response to specific cytokines like TGFBeta and TNFAlpha and several growth factors like EGF, PDGF and VEGF.