What Is Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition?

Transdifferentiation is also seen in organogenesis during normal embryonic development. It usually occurs in epithelial cells and is characterized by the loss of cell connections and polarity and the phenotypic characteristics of interstitial cells. This transdifferentiation is called epithelial to mesenchy-mal transition (EMT). Although EMT is a physiological reprogramming phenomenon of cells during development, recent studies have shown that EMT is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. ^[1]