Identification of the tumour transition states occurring during EMT [RNA-seq]

EMT in cancer has been associated with tumour stemness, metastasis and resistance to therapy. It has recently been proposed that, rather than being a binary process, EMT occurs through distinct intermediate states. However,direct in vivo evidence supporting this possibility is still lacking. By screening a large panel of cell surface markers, we identified the existence of multiple tumour subpopulations associated with different EMT stages from epithelial to completely mesenchymal states passing through intermediate hybrid states in skin and mammary primary tumours. Although all EMT subpopulations presented similar tumour propagating cell capacity, they displayed different , invasiveness and metastatic potential. Their transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes defined by RNA-seq and ATAC-seq identified the underlying gene regulatory networks, transcription factors and signalling pathways that control these different EMT transition states. Finally, these tumour subpopulations are localized in different niches that differentially regulateEMT transition states. RNA sequencing on the different intermediate states of EMT