Preface
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) describes a cellular process during which
cells transition to a mesenchymal cell state. Reversible in nature, EMTs not only play crucial
roles during development, their inappropriate activation is associated with a number of
pathologies, including cancer metastasis and fibrosis. Long thought of as a binary transition,
the realization that cells activate the EMT program to different extents, and often stop at
varying points along the way to becoming mesenchymal (or epithelial), has revolutionized
thinking in the field. Furthermore, it is increasingly clear that the way that the program is
implemented is very context-dependent, which can lead to difficulties extrapolating from
results “in a dish.” In this book of methods for studying The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal
Transition, we have first explored the complexity of EMT research, by asking a diverse range
of EMT researchers to write personal perspectives on their opinion of the field, which has led
to a number of thought-provoking pieces. The book provides a comprehensive range of
methods for imaging EMT/MET in in vivo systems, as well as methods to leverage these
systems to dissect the underlying mechanisms. We hope that these will aid future studies,
deepening our understanding of context-dependent features, as well as cross-species commonalities. Finally, we finish with a series of innovative methods for studying different
features of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, at multiple levels, from metabolism to singlecell level. As two researchers whose science has been largely driven by the simple excitement
of watching cells moving and changing behaviors in vivo, we hope that this combination of
perspectives and methods in EMT will help to unite and drive research in this exciting field
forward!
Sheffield, UK
Kyra Campbell
Toulouse, France
Eric Theveneau
v
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) describes a cellular process during which
cells transition to a mesenchymal cell state. Reversible in nature, EMTs not only play crucial
roles during development, their inappropriate activation is associated with a number of
pathologies, including cancer metastasis and fibrosis. Long thought of as a binary transition,
the realization that cells activate the EMT program to different extents, and often stop at
varying points along the way to becoming mesenchymal (or epithelial), has revolutionized
thinking in the field. Furthermore, it is increasingly clear that the way that the program is
implemented is very context-dependent, which can lead to difficulties extrapolating from
results “in a dish.” In this book of methods for studying The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal
Transition, we have first explored the complexity of EMT research, by asking a diverse range
of EMT researchers to write personal perspectives on their opinion of the field, which has led
to a number of thought-provoking pieces. The book provides a comprehensive range of
methods for imaging EMT/MET in in vivo systems, as well as methods to leverage these
systems to dissect the underlying mechanisms. We hope that these will aid future studies,
deepening our understanding of context-dependent features, as well as cross-species commonalities. Finally, we finish with a series of innovative methods for studying different
features of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, at multiple levels, from metabolism to singlecell level. As two researchers whose science has been largely driven by the simple excitement
of watching cells moving and changing behaviors in vivo, we hope that this combination of
perspectives and methods in EMT will help to unite and drive research in this exciting field
forward!
Sheffield, UK
Kyra Campbell
Toulouse, France
Eric Theveneau
v