EMT and cell migration

How does membrane organization control epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cell migration during development and disease?

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, is a major cellular lifestyle change that results in cells with the ability to migrate long distances in the body. This process is critical for normal embryonic development and for the formation of many organs. However, EMT mechanisms are often co-opted in disease states such as cancer metastasis.

We use the chicken neural crest as a tractable model system to study the mechanisms of EMT and cell migration. The neural crest is an embryonic cell population with remarkable multipotency and migratory ability enabling it to contribute to diverse organ systems including the craniofacial skeleton and the peripheral nervous system (Piacentino et al., 2020). Thus, insights gained from studying neural crest cells have the potential to inform novel therapeutic approaches to combat both congenital disorders and metastatic diseases.