Inhibition of Ubiquitin-specific Protease 4 Attenuates Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells via Transforming Growth Factor Beta Receptor Type Ⅰ

Objective Ubiquitin-specific protease 4(USP4)facilitates the development of transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-β1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in various cancer cells.Moreover,EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells(RTECs)is required for the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis.However,the role of USP4 in EMT of RTECs remains unknown.The present study aimed to explore the effect of USP4 on the EMT of RTECs as well as the involved mechanism.Methods In established unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO)rats and NRK-52E cells,immunohistochemistry and Western blot assays were performed.Results USP4 expression was increased significantly with obstruction time.In NRK-52E cells stimulated by TGF-β1,USP4 expression was increased in a time-dependent manner.In addition,USP4 silencing with specific siRNA indicated that USP4 protein was suppressed effectively.Meanwhile,USP4 siRNA treatment restored E-cadherin and weakened alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)expression,indicating that USP4 may promote EMT.After treatment with USP4 siRNA and TGF-β1 for 24 h,the expression of TGF-β1 receptor type I(TβRI)was decreased.Conclusion USP4 promotes the EMT of RTECs through upregulating TβRI,thereby facilitating renal interstitial fibrosis.These findings may provide a potential target of USP4 in the treatment of renal fibrosis.

Evaluation of epithelial-mesenchymal transitioned circulating tumor cells in patients with resectable gastric cancer: Relevance to therapy response

AIM: To evaluate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition(EMT) of circulating tumor cells(CTCs) in gastric cancer patients.METHODS: We detected tumor cells for expression of four epithelial(E^+) transcripts(keratins 8, 18, and 19 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule) and two mesenchymal(M^+) transcripts(Vimentin and Twist) by a quantifiable, dual-colorimetric RNA-in situ hybridization assay. Between July 2014 and October 2014, 44 patients with gastric cancer were recruited for CTC evaluation. Blood samples were obtained from selected patients during the treatment course [before surgery, after surgery and at the 6^(th) cycle of XELOX based chemotherapy(about 6 mo postoperatively)].RESULTS: We found the EMT phenomenon in which there were a few biphenotypic E^+/M^+ cells in primary human gastric cancer specimens. Of the 44 patients, the presence of CTCs was reported in 35(79.5%) patients at baseline. Five types of cells including from exclusively E^+ CTCs to intermediate CTCs and exclusively M^+ CTCs were identified(4 patients with M^+ CTCs and 10 patients with M^+ or M^+ > E^+ CTCs). Further, a chemotherapy patient having progressive disease showed a proportional increase of mesenchymal CTCs in the post-treatment blood specimens. We used NCI-N87 cells to analyze the linearity and sensitivity of Can Patrol^(TM) system and the correlation coefficient(R^2) was 0.999.CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the EMT phenomenon was both in a few cells of primary tumors and abundantly in CTCs from the blood of gastric cancer patients, which might be used to monitor therapy response.

Role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor in Extracellular Matrix Degradation in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells

In order to investigate the effects of connective tissue growth factor （CTGF） antisense oligodeoxynucleotide （ODN） on plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 （PAI-1） expression in renal tubular cells induced by transforming growth factor β1 （TGF-β1） and to explore the role of CTGF in the degradation of renal extracellular matrix （ECM）, a human proximal tubular epithelial cell line （HKC） was cultured in vitro. Cationic lipid-mediated CTGF antisense ODN was transfected into HKC. After HKC were stimulated with TGF-β1 （5 μg/L）, the mRNA level of PAI-1 was detected by RT-PCR. Intracellular PAI-1 protein synthesis was assessed by flow cytometry. The secreted PAI-1 in the media was determined by Western blot. The results showed that TGF-β1 could induce tubular CTGF and PAI-1 mRNA expression. The PAI-1 mRNA expression induced by TGF-β1 was significantly inhibited by CTGF antisense ODN. CTGF antisense ODN also inhibited intracellular PAI-1 protein synthesis and lowered the levels of PAI-1 protein secreted into the media. It was concluded that CTGF might play a crucial role in the degradation of excessive ECM during tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and blocking the biological effect of CTGF may he a novel way in preventing renal fibrosis.

In vitro inhibition of proliferation,migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human lens epithelial cells by fasudil

AIM： To study the potential role of fasudil as a treatment for posterior capsular opacification（PCO） of the human crystalline lens.METHODS： Human lens epithelial cells（HLECs; line SRA01/04） was exposed to transforming growth factor-β2（TGF-β2） to induce the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT）. Fasudil was applied to the cell samples. Its effect on overall HLECs proliferation and migration was studied, as was its influence on EMT induction by TGF-β2 using cell migration assay, MTT colorimetric assay and Western blot assay.RESULTS： Fasudil inhibited the proliferation of SRA01/04. Its effect was time-and concentration-dependent. The migration of SRA01/04 cells was significantly reduced 24-72 h after fasudil treatment, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration（IC50） was 22.37 μmol/mL at 72 h. Reversal of the elongated, fibroblast-like shape changes induced by TGF-β2 in SRA01/04 cells was observed. Fasudil up-regulated the expression of Connexin43 protein and down-regulated the expression of α-SMA protein compared with the cells treated with TGF-β2. Furthermore, when exposed to fasudil, the phosphorylation of Rhoassociated protein kinase（Rock） and myosin light chain（MLC） could not be activated in the cell preparations.CONCLUSION： Fasudil suppresses the proliferation and migration of SRA01/04 cells, and inhibits the process of EMT induced by TGF-β2. These results suggest that fasudil may serve as a therapeutic agent for PCO.

Roles of Rho/Rock Signaling Pathway in Silica-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Objective To investigate the roles of Rho/Rock signaling pathway in silica-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in human bronchial epithelial cells （BEC） in vitro. Methods Human BEC were incubated with silica with various concentrations for indicated times. Cell viability was assayed by MTT test. Morphologic Changes were observed by microscope. Mesenchymal marker a-smooth muscle actin （a-SMA）, vimentin （Vim）, and epithelial marker E-cadherin （E-cad） were analyzed by Western Blot. The pull-down assay was used to measure Rho activity. In the prevention experiments, the specific inhibitor for Rho effector ROCK （Y27632） was used to inhibit the activity of Rho. Results Human BEC stimulated with silica were converted from a ＂cobblestone＂ epithelial structure into an elongated fibroblast-like shape structure. Incubation of human BEC with silica induced de novo expression of a-SMA and Vim, and loss of E-cad. Also, silica treatment resulted in Rho activation in human BEC. Y27632 up-regulated the E-cad expression but attenuated a-SMA and Vim expression in silica-stimulated cells. Conclusion The activation of Rho/ROCK signaling pathways is most likely involved in Silica-induced EMT in human bronchial epithelial cells.

Expression of transcription factors Slug in the lens epithelial cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by connective tissue growth factor

AIMTo investigate the expression of transcription factors Slug in human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by connective tissue growth factor (CTGF).METHODSHLECs were treated with CTGF of different concentrations (20, 50 and 100 ng/mL) or without CTGF (control) for 24h. The morphological changes of HLECs were analysed by microscopy. The expression and cellular localization of Slug was evaluated by immumo-fluorescence. Expressions of Slug, E-cadherin and alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were further determined by Western blot analysis.RESULTSHLECs showed spidle fibrolasts-like characteristics and loosely connected each other after CTGF treatment. The immuno-fluorescence staining indicated that Slug was localized in the nuclei and its expression was induced by CTGF. The relative expressions of Slug protein were 1.64±0.11, 1.96 ±0.03, 3.12 ±0.10, and 4.08±0.14, respectively, in response to control group and treatment with CTGF of 20, 50 and 100 ng/mL (F=443.86, P<0.01). The increased Slug protein levels were correlated well with up-expression of α-SMA (0.78±0.05, 0.85±0.06, 2.17±0.15, 2.86±0.10; F=449.85, P<0.01) and down-expression of E-cadherin (2.50±0.11, 1.79±0.26, 1.05±0.14, 0.63±0.08; F=101.55, P<0.01).CONCLUSIONTranscription factor Slug may be involved in EMT of HLECs induced by CTGF in vitro.

EDIL3 depletion suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lens epithelial cells via transforming growth factor β pathway

AIM： To study the effect of discoidin I-like domaincontaining protein 3（EDIL3） depletion on the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT） in human lens epithelial cells（LECs）. METHODS： RNA interference was used to inhibit the expression of EDIL3 in human LECs in vitro. The morphology of cells was observed using an inverted microscope. Cell proliferation was assessed using Ed U kit. Cell migration was investigated using Transwell chamber and EMT of LECs was assessed using confocal microscope and Western blotting. The transforming growth factor β（TGFβ） pathway was investigated using Western blotting. RESULTS： The data showed that silencing EDIL3 expression changed LECs morphology and suppressed LECs proliferation（P〈0.05） and migration（P〈0.01）. Furthermore, the result of Western blotting showed that EDIL3 depletion reduced the expression of α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）（P〈0.001） and vimentin（P〈0.01）, while increased the expression of E-cadherin（P〈0.001）. EDIL3 depletion could suppress the phosphorylation of Smad2（P〈0.01） and Smad3（P〈0.01） and the activation of exracellular signal regulated kinase（ERK）（P〈0.05）. CONCLUSION： The findings indicate that EDIL3 might participate in the proliferation and EMT in LECs via TGFβ pathway and may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of posterior capsule opacification.

Effects of bisphenol compounds on the growth and epithelial mesenchymal transition of MCF-7 CV human breast cancer cells

Bisphenol-A（BPA） has been considered as an endocrine disrupting chemical（EDC） because it can exert estrogenic properties.For bisphenol-S（BPS） and bisphenol-F（BPF） that are BPA analogs and substitutes,their risk to estrogendependent cancer has been reported rarely compared with the numerous cases of BPA.In this study,we examined whether BPA,BPS,and BPF can lead to the proliferation,migration,and epithelial mesenchymal transition（EMT） of MCF-7 clonal variant（MCF-7 CV） breast cancer cells expressing estrogen receptors（ERs）.In a cell viability assay,BPA,BPS,and BPF significantly increased proliferation of MCF-7 CV cells compared to control（DMSO） as did17β-estradiol（E2）.In Western blotting assay,BPA,BPS,and BPF enhanced the protein expression of cell cycle progression genes such as cyclin D1 and E1.In addition,MCF-7 CV cells lost cell to cell contacts and acquired fibroblast-like morphology by the treatment of BPA,BPS,or BPF for 24 hours.In cell migration assay,BPA,BPS,and BPF accelerated the migration capability of MCF-7 CV cells as did E2.In relation with the EMT process,BPA,BPS,and BPF increased the protein expression of N-cadherin,while they decreased the protein expression of Ecadherin.When BPA,BPS,and BPF were co-treated with ICI 182,780,an ER antagonist,proliferation effects were reversed,the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 was downregulated,and the altered cell migration and expression of N-cadherin and E-cadherin by BPA,BPS,and BPF were restored to the control level.Thus,these results imply that BPS and BPF also have the risk of breast cancer progression as much as BPA in the induction of proliferation and migration of MCF-7 CV cells by regulating the protein expression of cell cycle-related genes and EMT markers via the ER-dependent pathway.

Experimental Study on Detached Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells in Urine of Nephropathia Epidemic Patients

To elucidate the pathogenesis of acute renal failure (ARF) with nephropathia epidemic (NE), provide experimental evidence for the new therapy to NE and observe the effects of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides on adhesion of re-nal tubular epithelial cell (RTEC), urine specimens of patients were collected un-der sterile conditions. Detached RTECs were separated, cultured and identified.Hantan Virus antigen was determined by using indirect immunofluorescence method and effects of RGD on adhesion of RTECs was observed by subgroup counting as well as by flow cytometry. This study showed that: (1) sublethal RTECs existed in the urine of NE-ARF patients, which could be cultured in monolayer form; (2 ) there was NE antigen in RTECs; and (3) adhesion of RTECs could be inhibited by RGD.

Decreased TRPM7 alleviates high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury by inhibiting the HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway

Objective:To explore the regulatory mechanism of transient receptor potential melastatin-7(TRPM7)in high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury.Methods:The expression of TRPM7 in the serum of diabetic nephropathy patients and high glucose-induced HK-2 cells was detected by RT-qPCR.Then,the TRPM7 interference vector was constructed,and the downstream high mobility group box 1(HMGB1)/Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)signaling pathway proteins were detected.Next,in addition to interference with TRPM7 expression,overexpression of HMGB1 in high glucose-induced HK-2 cells was performed.Cell activity,apoptosis,oxidative stress levels,and inflammation levels were determined by CCK8,TUNEL,Western blotting,immunofluorescence and related kits.Results:TRPM7 expression was upregulated in the serum of diabetic nephropathy patients and high glucose-induced HK-2 cells.Interference with TRPM7 reduced cell damage,epithelial-mesenchymal transition,oxidative stress,and inflammatory response in high glucose-induced HK-2 cells via inhibiting the HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway.However,the effects induced by TRPM7 silencing were abrogated by HMGB1 overexpression.Conclusions:Decreased TRPM7 alleviates high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury by inhibiting the HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway.Further animal experiments and clinical trials are warranted to verify its effect.

The Effect of Connective Tissue Growth Factor on Human Renal Tubular Epithelial Cell Transdifferentiation

To investigate the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in transdifferentiation of human renal tubular epithelial cell (HKC), in vitro cultured HKC cells were divided into 3 groups: negtive control, low dose CTGF-treated group (rh CTGF, 2.5 ng/ml) and high dose CTGF-treated (rhCTGF, 5.0 ng/ml). Then the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were assessed by indirect immuno-fluorescence, and the percentage of α-SMA positive cells were assessed by flow cytometry. RT-PCR were also performed to examine the mRNA level of α-SMA. Upon the stimulation of different concentrations of rhCTGF, the expression of α-SMA were markedly stronger than that in negative controls. The percentages of α-SMA positive cells were significantly higher in the stimulated groups than that of negative controls (38.9 %, 65.5 % vs 2.4 %, P<0.01) .α-SMA mRNA levels were also up-regulated by the stimulation of rhCTGF (P<0.01). These results suggest that CTGF can promote the transdifferentiation of human renal tubular epithelial cells towards myofibroblast (Myo-F).

Side Population Cells in Human Gallbladder Cancer Cell Line GBC-SD Regulated by TGF-β-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition

Mounting evidence has shown that side population （SP） cells are enriched for cancer stem cells （CSCs） responsible for cancer malignancy. In this study, SP technology was used to isolate a small subpopulation of SP cells in human gallbladder cancer cell line GBC-SD, and SP cells which had superior potential for proliferation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo were identified. Importantly, the abundance of GBC-SD SP cells was increased by a transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）, and this effect was accompanied with a strong up-regulation of ABCG2 mRNA expression, and a decreased sensitivity to mitoxantrone. SP cells were restored upon the removal of TGF-β and the reversion of the cells to an epithelial phenotype, and smad3-specific siRNA reduced SP abundance in response to TGF-β. In conclusion, TGF-β-induced EMT by smad-dependent signaling pathway promotes cancer development and anti-cancer drug resistant phenotype by augmenting the abundance of GBC-SD SP cells, and a better understanding of mechanisms involved in TGF-β-induced EMT may provide a novel strategy for preventing cancer progression.

Effect of h GC-MSCs from human gastric cancer tissue on cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor tissue of gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice

Objective: To study the effect of h GC-MSCs from human gastric cancer tissue on cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor tissue of gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice. Methods: BABL/c nude mice were selected as experimental animals and gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice model were established by subcutaneous injection of gastric cancer cells, randomly divided into different intervention groups. h GC-MSCs group was given different amounts of gastric cancer cells for subcutaneous injection, PBS group was given equal volume of PBS for subcutaneous injection. Then tumor tissue volume were determined, tumor-bearing mice were killed and tumor tissues were collected, m RNA expression of proliferation, invasion, EMT related molecules were determined. Results: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 d after intervention, tumor tissue volume of h GC-MSCs group were significantly higher than those of PBS group and the more the number of h GC-MSCs, the higher the tumor tissue volume; m RNA contents of Ki-67, PCNA, Bcl-2, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-14, N-cadherin, vimentin, Snail and Twist in tumor tissue of h GC-MSCs group were higher than those of PBS group, and m RNA contents of Bax, TIMP1, TIMP2 and E-cadherin were lower than those of PBS group. Conclusions: h GC-MSCs from human gastric cancer tissue can promote the tumor growth in gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice, and the molecular mechanism includes promoting cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Erbin Interacts with Sema4C and Inhibits Sema4C-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in HK2 Cells

Erbin, a member of Leucine-rich repeat and PDZ-containing protein family, was found to inhibit TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in our previous study. However, the mechanism of Erbin in regulating EMT is unclear. Semaphorin protein Sema4C, with PDZ binding site at C-terminal has been recognized as a positive regulator of EMT. Here, we aimed to examine the inter- action between Erbin and Sema4C. HK2 cells were treated with TGF-β1, or transfected with Erbin and （or） Sema4C. Interaction of Erbin and Sema4C was identified by immunoprecipitation. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of Erbin and Sema4C at mRNA level after transfection. The expression levels of Erbin, Sema4C, and markers of EMT were measured by using Western blotting or ELISA. Af- ter HK2 cells were stimulated with 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 72 h, the protein expression levels of Erbin and Sema4C were both up-regulated, and immunoprecipitation results showed Erbin interacted with Sema4C in HK2 cells both at endogenous and exogenous levels. Furthermore, overexpression of Sema4C suppressed E-cadherin, induced vimentin and promoted fibronectin secretion, indicating Sema4C promotes the process of EMT. However, HK2 cells overexpressing Erbin were resistant to Sema4C-induced EMT. In contrast, Erbin specific siRNA promoted EMT induced by Sema4C. Taken together, these results suggest that Erbin can interact with Sema4C, and co-expression of Erbin blocks the process of Sema4C-induced EMT.

Study on mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ in treatment of pulmonary fibrosis with epithelial-mesenchymal transition

OBJECTIVE Currently discussing the clinical treatment of pulmonary fibrosis commonly used drugs astragalus main active ingredient astragalosideⅣ(ASTⅣ) in vitro after transforming growth factor-β1 induced lung adenocarcinoma A549 epithelial cells after epithelial cell interstitial EpithelialMesenchymal Transition(EMT).METHODS The effect of astragalosideIV on the proliferation of A549 cells was detected by MTT assay for the first time.No significant effect of astragaloside on the prolifera.tion of A549 cells was found in the range of 1.25-20 μmol/L.A549 cells in vitro were divided into 5 groups:normal group,control group,low,medium and high experimental groups,which were treated for 72 hours,and the morphological changes of cells in each group were observed by light microscope.Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR) and Western blotting were performed.Detection of gene and protein expression levels.RESULTS The results of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the quantitative analysis of high-dose astragalosideⅣ in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group in the α-SMA analysis,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The dose of Astragaloside Ⅳ in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group in the E-Cad analysis,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Western Blot results showed that the expression of α-SMA antibody in the high-dose and low-dose experimental group was lower than that in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The high-dose experimental group had a significantly higher expression of E-Cad antibody than the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.01).CONCLUSION This study uses A549 epithelial cells as a model,A549 cells were modeled and confirmed that Astragaloside can effectively inhibit TGF-β1-induced epithelialmesenchymal transition(EMT) and provide a new basis for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Breast Cancer Stem Cells in Breast Cancer Progression

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are a small subpopulation of cancer cells having the ability of self-renewing and multi-lineage differentiation, which have also been termed as “tumor-initiating cells”. And in recent years, the role of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in malignant tumors has been valued. This paper will briefly review and discuss the relationship between BCSCs and EMT.

Comparative proteomic analysis of renal tubular epithelial cell injury caused by oxalic acid and calcium oxalate monohydrate

Objective To analyze and identify the differentially expressed proteins in human renal tubular epithelial ceils ( HK-2) after injury caused by oxalic acid and calcium oxalate monohydrate ( COM ) crystal,and to explore the potential role of renal tubular cell injury in kidney stone formation. Methods Normal HK-2 cells

Effect and mechanism of adrenomedullin on apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cell in rats induced by renal ischemia reperfusion injury

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of adrenomedullin ( AM ) on apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cell in rats induced by renal ischemia reperfusion injury. Methods Thirty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group,IRI group, empty plasmid group and AM group. One week after re-

Anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effect of mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles in chronic kidney disease

Renal fibrosis and inflammation are common pathological features of chronic kidney disease(CKD).Since currently available treatments can only delay the progression of CKD,the outcome of patients with CKD is still poor.One therapeutic option for the prevention of CKD-related complications could be the use of mesenchymal stromal cells(MSCs),which have shown beneficial effects in tissue fibrosis and regeneration after damage.However,safety issues,such as cellular rejection and carcinogenicity,limit their clinical application.Among the bioactive factors secreted by MSCs,extracellular vesicles(EVs)have shown the same beneficial effect of MSCs,without any notable side effects.This heterogeneous population of membranous nano-sized particles can deliver genetic material and functional proteins to injured cells,prompting tissue regeneration.Here we describe the anti-fibrotic and antiinflammatory properties of MSC-derived EVs in CKD preclinical models and summarize the potential molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of renal fibrosis and inflammation.

Hepatic regeneration and the epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Liver injuries are repaired by fibrosis and regeneration. The core stage is the repair response and fibrosis formation as a scar. The cause of overly-responsive scar formation and diminished regeneration, especially in liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, is still unknown. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a previously discovered mechanism, plays an important role in liver fibrosis and tumor metastasis. Recently, EMT has been found to be associated with liver and bile duct cell fibrosis. Analyzing the established models and chronic disease processes, we propose that EMT liver cells may also lose their regenerative capability due to phenotype changes and that the remaining liver cells may quickly lose their regenerative capability in liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Recognizing these phenotype changes or transition cells may play an important role in targeting therapy to reverse fibrosis not only by disrupting the transition that is necessary to produce the extracellular matrix but also by restoring the regenerative capacity of EMT-like cells.