Figure 4. TGFβ and EGF in EMT.
(A) TGFβ post-transcriptionally regulates MMP9 through SMAD2/3 and MLCK to promote EMT. Transcriptional regulation of MMP9 by TGFβ is mediated through the Snail/Ets1 and MEK1/2-ERK1/2-Slug pathways. (B) EGF activates Erk1/2 and AKT pathways to promote EMT. EGF activates the EGFR to increase MMP9 resulting in degradation of E-Cadherin into sE-Cadherin. Also, the EGF/EGFR signaling pathway regulates the degradation of desmosomes.