EpithelialMesenchymal Transformation

Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) is a process by which cells that constitute epithelia or form stratified or cuboidal layers, change into mesenchymal cells which form connective tissue. This process is important in developmental biology and tissue regeneration, as well as in diseases such as cancer. During EMT, cells lose cell-to-cell contacts to form a single layer of detached cells, and gain the ability to migrate and invade other tissues. They also reprogram their gene expression and increase the expression of proteins that allow them to migrate and invade. This transformation is essential in wound healing, as well as in the invasion of metastatic cancer cells. EMT is also involved in many physiological processes, such as embryogenesis and immune responses.