RGD Reference Report - The zinc-finger protein slug causes desmosome dissociation, an initial and necessary step for growth factor-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition. - Rat Genome Database

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The zinc-finger protein slug causes desmosome dissociation, an initial and necessary step for growth factor-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Authors: Savagner, P  Yamada, KM  Thiery, JP 
Citation: Savagner P, etal., J Cell Biol 1997 Jun 16;137(6):1403-19.
RGD ID: 730035
Pubmed: PMID:9182671   (View Abstract at PubMed)
PMCID: PMC2132541   (View Article at PubMed Central)

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential morphogenetic process during embryonic development. It can be induced in vitro by hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), or by FGF-1 in our NBT-II cell model for EMT. We tested for a central role in EMT of a zinc-finger protein called Slug. Slug mRNA and protein levels were increased transiently in FGF-1-treated NBT-II cells. Transient or stable transfection of Slug cDNA in NBT-II cells resulted in a striking disappearance of the desmosomal markers desmoplakin and desmoglein from cell-cell contact areas, mimicking the initial steps of FGF-1 or HGF/SF- induced EMT. Stable transfectant cells expressed Slug protein and were less epithelial, with increased cell spreading and cell-cell separation in subconfluent cultures. Interestingly, NBT-II cells transfected with antisense Slug cDNA were able to resist EMT induction by FGF-1 or even HGF/SF. This antisense effect was suppressed by retransfection with Slug sense cDNA. Our results indicate that Slug induces the first phase of growth factor-induced EMT, including desmosome dissociation, cell spreading, and initiation of cell separation. Moreover, the antisense inhibition experiments suggest that Slug is also necessary for EMT.

Gene Ontology Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

Biological Process
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
cellular response to fibroblast growth factor stimulus  IEP 730035 RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Snai2  (snail family transcriptional repressor 2)

Objects referenced in this article
Gene Snai2 snail family zinc finger 2 Mus musculus
Gene Dsp desmoplakin Rattus norvegicus

Additional Information