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Epithelial mesenchymal transition traits in human breast cancer cell lines

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Abstract

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) has long been associated with breast cancer cell invasiveness and evidence of EMT processes in clinical samples is growing rapidly. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of increasingly larger numbers of human breast cancer (HBC) cell lines have confirmed the existence of a subgroup of cell lines (termed Basal B/Mesenchymal) with enhanced invasive properties and a predominantly mesenchymal gene expression signature, distinct from subgroups with predominantly luminal (termed Luminal) or mixed basal/luminal (termed Basal A) features (Neve et al Cancer Cell 2006). Studies providing molecular and cellular analyses of EMT features in these cell lines are summarised, and the expression levels of EMT-associated factors in these cell lines are analysed. Recent clinical studies supporting the presence of EMT-like changes in vivo are summarised. Human breast cancer cell lines with mesenchymal properties continue to hold out the promise of directing us towards key mechanisms at play in the metastatic dissemination of breast cancer.

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Abbreviations

EMT:

Epithelial mesenchymal transition

EGF:

Epidermal growth factor

HBC:

Human breast cancer

IGF-IR:

Type I insulin-like growth factor receptor

MET:

Mesenchymal epithelial transition

TNFα:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded in part by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (DAMD17-03-1-0416) to EWT. TB and EWT are supported in part by the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium. EW is the recipient of an AUS Aid Scholarship. Parts of this work were also supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (Contract DE-AC03-76SF00098) and the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) grant # 7FB-0027.

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Blick, T., Widodo, E., Hugo, H. et al. Epithelial mesenchymal transition traits in human breast cancer cell lines . Clin Exp Metastasis 25, 629–642 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10585-008-9170-6

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