Figure 2.

Proposed model of P-cadherin expression in EMT progression. Schematic representation adapted from Schmitt et al. (54) of the different types of breast cancer in what concerns cancer stem cells proteins (CD24, CD44, CD49f, and ALDH1), EMT markers, and P-cadherin expression during EMT progression. A decrease of epithelial proteins with a concomitant increase in mesenchymal markers is observed during the transition from an epithelial to a mesenchymal phenotype. During this process, we hypothesize that P-cadherin expression is in very low levels in both full epithelial and full mesenchymal states; however, an increased expression can be seen in the metastable and intermediate states of EMT.