ProjectEpithelial polarity and cancer

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Epithelial tissues line the inner surface of organs. They are composed of polarized cells with an apical domain open to the exterior (lumen) and a basal domain oriented towards the underlying connective tissue. The cohesion and impermeability of epithelial tissues are ensured by adherens junctions and tight junctions, respectively.
As mentioned above, we found that EFA6 and Arf6 participate in epithelial tissue homeostasis by acting on tight junctions, the apical actomyosin ring, and the lumen. We showed that EFA6 expression levels are finely regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system during epithelial morphogenesis and regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the absence of EFA6, weakened epithelial tissues are predisposed to lose their apico-basal polarity and commit to EMT. Finally, in a breast cancer model, we showed that EFA6B is a haploinsufficient gene whose loss of expression facilitates in vivo tumor progression of stage in situ at the invasive stage.

EFA6/Arf6 regulate TEM and collective invasion

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