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Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal‐like transition events in melanoma
Author(s) -
Pedri Dennis,
Karras Panagiotis,
Landeloos Ewout,
Marine JeanChristophe,
Rambow Florian
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/febs.16021
Subject(s) - mesenchymal stem cell , melanoma , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , cancer research , transition (genetics) , phenotype , biology , cancer , metastasis , medicine , pathology , gene , genetics
Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process through which epithelial tumor cells acquire mesenchymal phenotypic properties, contributes to both metastatic dissemination and therapy resistance in cancer. Accumulating evidence indicates that nonepithelial tumors, including melanoma, can also gain mesenchymal‐like properties that increase their metastatic propensity and decrease their sensitivity to therapy. In this review, we discuss recent findings, illustrating the striking similarities—but also knowledge gaps—between the biology of mesenchymal‐like state(s) in melanoma and mesenchymal state(s) from epithelial cancers. Based on this comparative analysis, we suggest hypothesis‐driven experimental approaches to further deepen our understanding of the EMT‐like process in melanoma and how such investigations may pave the way towards the identification of clinically relevant biomarkers for prognosis and new therapeutic strategies.