Unraveling the TWIST between EMT and cancer stemness

Hae-Yun Jung; Jing Yang

doi:10.1016/j.stem.2014.12.005

Unraveling the TWIST between EMT and cancer stemness

Cell Stem Cell. 2015 Jan 8;16(1):1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.12.005.

Authors

Hae-Yun Jung¹, Jing Yang²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0819, USA.
² Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0819, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0819, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0819, USA. Electronic address: jingyang@ucsd.edu.

PMID: 25575073
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.12.005

Abstract

Twist1 has a well-established role in inducing Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) to promote tumor invasion and metastasis and can also inhibit apoptosis and confer stemness. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Beck et al. (2015) now show that low levels of Twist1 are essential for tumor initiation, maintenance, and stemness independent of its EMT-inducing activity.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Carcinogenesis / metabolism*
Disease Progression*
Humans
Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism*
Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
Skin Neoplasms / metabolism*
Skin Neoplasms / pathology*
Twist-Related Protein 1 / metabolism*

Substances

Nuclear Proteins
Twist-Related Protein 1