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Early in mammalian embryogenesis, some cells from an epithelial-like structure within the embryo suddenly become detached from adjacent cells and begin to migrate, which results in formation of the mesoderm. Some have speculated that the same genetic changes that lead to this migratory behavior could give cancer cells the capacity to metastasize. Prior work suggests that this theory could explain metastatic colon cancer.
An international team led by cancer biology pioneer Robert Weinberg reports that Twist, a molecule that is critical in the development of the mesoderm, is switched on in mouse breast cancer cells that metastasize. When production of Twist was inhibited, no histologic changes occurred in the primary tumors, in vivo, but many …