Figure 8.

Potential model of the role of Kaiso in tumor progression and metastasis. (a) TGFβ signaling increases Kaiso expression that in turn promotes TGFβ signaling through increased expression of TGFβR1 and/or TGFβR2. TGFβ and Kaiso then promote EMT through increased expression of Slug, ZEB1 and/or Vimentin. (b) Less aggressive breast cancers exhibit low Kaiso expression, whereas highly metastatic breast tumors display high Kaiso expression, correlating with shorter metastasis-free survival. However, it remains to be determined whether high Kaiso expression occurs before tumor cells become highly aggressive or vice versa.