Nature Communications (Jun 2020)

A self-sustaining endocytic-based loop promotes breast cancer plasticity leading to aggressiveness and pro-metastatic behavior

  • Irene Schiano Lomoriello,
  • Giovanni Giangreco,
  • Claudia Iavarone,
  • Chiara Tordonato,
  • Giusi Caldieri,
  • Gaetana Serio,
  • Stefano Confalonieri,
  • Stefano Freddi,
  • Fabrizio Bianchi,
  • Stefania Pirroni,
  • Giovanni Bertalot,
  • Giuseppe Viale,
  • Davide Disalvatore,
  • Daniela Tosoni,
  • Maria Grazia Malabarba,
  • Andrea Disanza,
  • Giorgio Scita,
  • Salvatore Pece,
  • Brian K. Pilcher,
  • Manuela Vecchi,
  • Sara Sigismund,
  • Pier Paolo Di Fiore

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16836-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 20

Abstract

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It is unclear if genetic alterations in endocytic proteins play a causal role in high incidence human cancers. Here, the authors report the oncogenic role of Epsin3 (EPN3) in breast cancer, and show EPN3 to drive tumorigenesis through induction of a partial epithelial mesenchymal transition state and a TGFβ-dependent regulatory loop that promotes cellular plasticity and invasive behaviour.