# Apical-basal polarity in tumor progression and metastasis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $376,546

## Abstract

The majority of human carcinomas show loss of epithelial apical-basal polarity during the progression from
benign to invasive carcinoma. Apical-basal polarity is often regarded as a gatekeeper against tumour
development and metastasis. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) provides stationary carcinoma cells
the ability to invade and disseminate during metastasis. Although loss of epithelial cell polarity is an early step
during the EMT process, polarity is largely thought to be a passive recipient of the EMT-inducing signals to
decrease epithelial characteristics. Very little is known whether apical-basal polarity could directly impinge on
the EMT transcription factors to function as feedback mechanisms to control EMT progression during tumor
metastasis. This proposal focuses on understanding the mechanism by which apical-basal polarity regulatory
machinery directly functions as a critical checkpoint of EMT to block tumor invasion and metastasis. Using
mouse and human epithelial 3D organoid cultures with intact apical-basal polarity, we aim to 1) To elucidate
the molecular mechanism by which apical-basal polarity blocks EMT and invasion; 2) To understand how the
PAR polarity complex regulates EMT transcription factors to inhibit EMT; 3) To determine the involvement of
the apical-basal polarity/EMT pathway in invasion and metastasis in vivo and in human breast cancer
progression.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9937689
- **Project number:** 5R01CA236386-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jing Yang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $376,546
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9937689

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9937689, Apical-basal polarity in tumor progression and metastasis (5R01CA236386-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9937689. Licensed CC0.

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