C-MYC as a key effector of WNT, PI3K/AKT, MAPK, and TGF-β signaling pathways in regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition during tumor metastasis.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key cellular process that facilitates distant metastasis during tumor progression. Tumor cells lose their epithelial characteristics while obtaining mesenchymal features during EMT process. This process is associated with a complex interaction between tumor cells, microenvironment, and signaling pathways. Therefore, it is helpful to clarify the molecular mechanisms of EMT process to introduce novel diagnostic and therapeutic markers to target malignant tumor cells. C-MYC is a transcription factor that regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, metabolism, and EMT process. C-MYC is an effector of various signaling pathways that regulates EMT process during tumor progression. Therefore, in the present review we discussed the role of signaling pathways in regulation of C-MYC mediated EMT process during tumor progression. It has been shown that WNT, MAPK, TGF-β, and PI3K/AKT pathways are the main regulators of C-MYC mediated EMT process in tumor cells. This review paves the way to introduce C-MYC as a reliable therapeutic target to reduce metastatic ability of tumor cells.