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Description
This lesson aims to strengthen students’ critical thinking and molecular biology data analysis skills as well as their understanding of concepts related to the hallmark of cancer: tissue invasion and metastasis. Students begin by learning about the invasion of cancer cells, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), and an important protein involved in EMT: E-cadherin. They then apply molecular biology knowledge to analyze data from multiple papers to infer the relationship between Snail and E-cadherin in different types of cancers. Next, they continue to interpret data from many papers to determine that a repressor transcription factor is present during EMT in cancer cells to reduce the rate of transcription of E-cadherin. Throughout this process, they review some important molecular biology laboratory techniques, including but not limited to: qRT-PCR, Northern Blot, Western Blot, stable transfections, and orthotopic mouse models. Knowledge of the central dogma of molecular biology helps students understand how expression of E-cadherin is regulated during EMT in the context of cancer. Overall, this lesson allows students to think critically and apply foundational molecular biology knowledge to synthesize real data. In this lesson, students organically discover the relationship between two proteins involved in EMT. This lesson empowers students, encouraging positive attitudes about science as they draw exciting conclusions from their hard work and focus during complex data analysis.
Primary Image: A molecular mechanism of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT): An evidence-based lesson applying molecular biology through the lens of cancer. Cancer cells undergo many cellular changes during the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), which promotes one of the hallmarks of cancer: tissue invasion and metastasis. One mechanism of EMT involves the proteins E-cadherin and Snail.
Publication Date
12-2025
Publisher
CourseSource
Disciplines
Biology | Cancer Biology | Cell Biology | Molecular Biology | Science and Mathematics Education
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.24918/cs.2025.34
Recommended Citation
Hasson S, Rowland-Goldsmith M. 2025. A Molecular Mechanism of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT): An Evidence Based Lesson Applying Molecular Biology Through the Lens of Cancer. CourseSource 12. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2025.34
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Included in
Biology Commons, Cancer Biology Commons, Cell Biology Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons
Comments
This OER was originally published on CourseSource. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2025.34
This article was the recipient of a Chapman University Supporting Open Access Research and Scholarship (SOARS) award.
The CourseSource website includes additional handouts available to instructors only who register for access.