Single cell RNA-seq highlights a role for a partial EMT in head and neck cancer

Sidharth V Puram; Anuraag S Parikh; Itay Tirosh

doi:10.1080/23723556.2018.1448244

Single cell RNA-seq highlights a role for a partial EMT in head and neck cancer

Mol Cell Oncol. 2018 Mar 7;5(3):e1448244. doi: 10.1080/23723556.2018.1448244. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Sidharth V Puram^{1

2

3

4

5}, Anuraag S Parikh^{1

2

3

4}, Itay Tirosh⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
² Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
³ Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
⁶ Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.

Abstract

Studies in single cell transcriptomics have significantly expanded our understanding of tumor biology, including recent analyses in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Here, we focus on the role of a partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) program in these tumors, with discussion of its dynamics, regulation, and implications for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: EMT; head and neck cancer; metastasis; single cell sequencing.

Grants and funding

K08 CA237732/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States