Figure 1

Diagram of key events during EMT and MET. TGF-β induces five events for epithelial cells to transition into the mesenchymal state: (i) loss of cell-cell contact, (ii) synthesis of mesenchymal proteins, (iii) re-arrangement of cell structural proteins such as actin, (iv) loss of basement membrane, (iv) loss of apical-basal polarity, and (v) the reverse, mesenchymal to epithelial transition can be induced by cytokines such as BMP-7.