ZEB proteins link cell motility with cell cycle control and cell survival in cancer

Epithelial mesenchymal transitions (EMT), the generation of motile mesenchymal cells from epithelial sheets, are differentiation programs which take place at several critical steps of embryonic development and in metastatic cancer. Recent data have shown that the transcription factors which are master regulators of EMT also regulate cell cycle progression, apoptosis and senescence. In light of these new observations, the role of these factors in human cancer may be broader than previously anticipated. Here we review recent literature on non-EMT functions of EMT-controlling transcription factors. We will mainly focus on transcription factors belonging to the ZEB family, but some important results obtained by investigators studying other key EMT regulators, Snail and Twist are also discussed.