Deadly crosstalk: Notch signaling at the intersection of EMT and cancer stem cells

• The role of Notch in EMT has been demonstrated in several cancers.
• Notch activates the expression of EMT markers in endothelial and epithelial cells.
• Activation of Notch promotes EMT and it is associated to chemoresistance in cancer.
• Targeting Notch will reverse the EMT process and sensitize tumors to chemotherapy.

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved pathway involved in cell fate control during development, stem cell self-renewal and postnatal tissue differentiation. Roles for Notch in carcinogenesis, in the biology of cancer stem cells, tumor angiogenesis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have been reported. This mini-review describes the role of Notch signaling deregulation in EMT and tumor aggressiveness. We describe how accumulated evidence suggests that Notch inhibition is an attractive strategy for the treatment of several cancers, at least in part because of its potential to reverse or prevent EMT.