HIRANO Toshio ≪Developmental Immunology≫ “Zinc transporter LIVI controls epithelial-mesenchymal transition in zebrafish gastrula organizer.”
2004-5-20
Publish Nature 429: 298-302, 2004
During gastrulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurs, which is one of the central events of embryonic development, organ and tissue regeneration, and cancer metastasis. We previously showed that STAT3 is activated in the organizer during zebrafish gastrulation and its activity is essential for gastrulation movements. Here we identify LIV1, a breast-cancer-associated zinc transporter protein, as a downstream target of STAT3 that is essential and sufficient for STAT3’s cell-autonomous role in the EMT of zebrafish gastrula organizer cells. We also demonstrate that LIV1 is essential for the nuclear localization of zinc-finger protein Snail, a master regulator of EMT. These results establish a molecular link between STAT3, LIV1 and Snail in EMT.
